Sony Shuts Down The Last of Us 2 Multiplayer Mod

Were you hoping to jump into a fan-made multiplayer mode for The Last of Us 2? Well, we've got some bad news.

The mod, which was set to launch this month, has been canceled. Modder @Speclizer_ broke the news on social media, saying they "recently received a letter on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment requesting for the mod not to be released." So yeah, it's not happening.

Speclizer called the situation "extremely sad," but they're not giving up. They hope fans who supported the project will stick around for what's next. And what's next? Something original. "My next project will be something of my own," they said, rather than an extension of an existing game.

In a message to supporters, Speclizer wrote: "Thank you all for the incredible amount of support over the last year. I hope to bring you something bigger and better soon!" It's a tough break for the modding community, but at least they're staying positive.

For those out of the loop, this isn't the first time The Last of Us multiplayer has been a sore subject. The original game had the beloved Factions mode, and Naughty Dog originally planned to include multiplayer in The Last of Us 2. But those plans were scrapped before release.

Then there was The Last of Us Online, a standalone multiplayer game that was in development for years. It was reportedly almost ready, but in December 2023, Naughty Dog canceled it to focus on single-player games instead. At the time, the studio confirmed it had two single-player games in development. One turned out to be Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and the other remains a mystery—many believe it's The Last of Us 3.

In other Naughty Dog news, studio head Neil Druckmann has confirmed that the studio has no creative involvement in the upcoming third season of HBO's The Last of Us. That's a big shift, since Druckmann was personally involved in the first two seasons.

GameSpot has reached out to Sony for more details, but so far, no comment. We'll keep you posted if we hear anything.

What do you think about Sony shutting down this mod? Were you looking forward to playing it? Let us know in the comments!