Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida discussed Naughty Dog’s canceled multiplayer game, The Last of Us Online, in a recent podcast interview. He described the game as “great” but acknowledged the studio’s inability to allocate resources for a live service title without harming future projects. After an evaluation by Bungie, Naughty Dog opted to cancel the multiplayer project in December 2023, choosing to focus on single-player games instead. Additionally, Yoshida commented on Xbox’s strategy of launching first-party titles on PlayStation, viewing it as beneficial for PlayStation owners and reflective of Xbox’s declining sales. Yoshida retired from Sony Interactive Entertainment last month.
Shuhei Yoshida, a former executive at PlayStation, recently shared insights on Naughty Dog’s cancelled multiplayer game The Last of Us, Xbox’s strategy in launching its games on PlayStation, and more during a recent interview. Yoshida, who retired from Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) last month, described The Last of Us Online as “great,” but noted that the studio couldn’t allocate the necessary resources for a live service game without compromising its upcoming project. Naughty Dog decided to cancel the multiplayer version of The Last of Us in December 2023, opting instead to concentrate on its next single-player title.
The Last of Us Online Was ‘Great’
In an appearance on the Sacred Symbols+ podcast (via Push Square), Yoshida discussed the choice to discontinue the multiplayer project, stating he “played the game, and it was great.”
“The idea for The Last of Us Online was initiated by Naughty Dog, and they were eager to develop it,” Yoshida mentioned in the paywalled podcast episode aired Wednesday. “However, Bungie illustrated [to them] the requirements for creating live service games, and Naughty Dog realized, ‘Uh-oh, we can’t handle that! If we pursue it, we won’t be able to develop Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.’ So, that showed a lack of foresight.”
Yoshida’s remarks align with reports from May 2023, which indicated that Bungie, a well-established developer of live service games, had assessed The Last of Us Online and expressed concerns regarding the multiplayer initiative’s capacity to keep players engaged over extended periods.
After this evaluation, Sony and Naughty Dog scaled back the team’s size working on the project. This report emerged after Naughty Dog announced a need for more time for the online game and confirmed its development of a new single-player experience.
By December 2023, Naughty Dog officially announced the cancellation of The Last of Us Online. The studio admitted its excitement about the game’s direction but concluded it couldn’t adequately support the live service title continuously after launch without hindering the development of future single-player titles.
“As we prepared for full production, the vast scope of our ambitions became evident. To successfully launch and support The Last of Us Online, we would need to commit all our studio resources to creating post-launch content for years, which would significantly affect the development of future single-player games. Thus, we faced a choice: either shift entirely to a live service games studio or continue focusing on the narrative-driven single-player experiences that have defined Naughty Dog’s legacy,” Naughty Dog explained at that time.
In their announcement, the studio also confirmed plans for “more than one” new single-player game. One of these titles was eventually revealed to be Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards 2024. This sci-fi action-adventure game currently lacks a release date but has been in development since 2020 at the Sony-owned studio.
Yoshida on Xbox Games Coming to PS5
In a separate discussion, Yoshida commented on Microsoft’s decision to release its first-party games on PS5. The former Sony executive, who previously managed PlayStation’s first-party lineup and later oversaw its independent games initiative, stated (via VGC) that the launch of Xbox games on PS5 represents a “win for PlayStation owners.”
“Considering the install base of Xbox hardware, it’s fairly logical to understand their approach, and it’s quite straightforward,” Yoshida explained. He added that maintaining first-party development on a minority platform would be “impossible,” as game developers aim for their titles to reach larger audiences.
As Microsoft has shifted to releasing its first-party games on competing platforms, Xbox sales have been declining. Following an announcement regarding the release of some titles on PS5 and Nintendo Switch in early 2024, the company has continued to launch more of its exclusive games on those platforms.
This year, the company has confirmed upcoming launches on PS5 for first-party titles, including Forza Horizon 5, Age of Mythology: Retold, and Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. Additionally, Bethesda’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, initially an Xbox and PC exclusive released in December 2024, is set for PS5 in 2025. Furthermore, the forthcoming first-party game Doom: The Dark Ages will be released simultaneously on PC, Xbox Series S/X, and PS5 on May 13, 2025.
Yoshida, a prominent figure in the industry and a PlayStation veteran with 31 years of experience, retired from SIE last month. He had previously served as president of PlayStation Studios until 2019 before taking charge of Sony’s independent developer initiative.