The Last of Us’ multiplayer is slated to be a massive installment in an already beloved franchise. It also marks an interesting turning point for Naughty Dog with a standalone multiplayer title, though the developer has already had decent experience with multiplayer modes attached to its single-player games, such as inUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endor the originalThe Last of Us. The latter had a much more popular multiplayer mode with Factions, implementingThe Last of Us’ tense cat-and-mouse stealthwith echolocation mechanics and the ability to craft resources on the fly.
However, a Naughty Dog job listing has been spotted online, and it potentially brings with it positive news. If it is for the project fans are thinking it is, thenThe Last of Us’ multiplayer game may be a free-to-play live-service titlewhen it launches. This would be fantastic since free-to-play games can obviously reach more players than if it is full-priced or costly at all, and would mean that Naughty Dog may be more concentrated on providing fans with other means of purchase, such as having a future full of post-launch content to explore. If true, this would be a great approach forThe Last of Us’ multiplayer game to consider.
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Rumors Suggest The Last of Us’ Multiplayer Could Be Free-to-Play
This information comes from a Naughty Dog job listing, which states “a production role supporting a AAA, free to play, live title” as one of the bonus skills candidates could demonstrate for qualification. This by no means is an official confirmation thatThe Last of Us’ multiplayer game will be free-to-play, but it leans heavily on the idea that it is being considered internally. Having live-service multiplayer games be free-to-play is not a requisite to them being agreeable experiences, but it does ensure that more players will have better access to it.
That said,The Last of Us’ multiplayer gamewill almost certainly only be releasing on PS5 and PC, which means that players will still need access to one of these two platforms as a prerequisite. If that is the only prerequisite to being able to play it, however, then Naughty Dog can focus on adding new content on a regular basis instead.
The Last of Us’ Multiplayer Being Free-to-Play Prioritizes the Right Things
If the game is free-to-play, then expansions with new maps, gear, cosmetics, narratives, characters, or other such content could be added with an indefinite timeline for the future.The Last of Us’ future installmentscould further impact content in the multiplayer game through tie-in collaborations within the IP, for example, and new NPCs could be added depending on how inspired its story beats are.
Indeed, details aboutThe Last of Us’ multiplayer game seemed to suggest that it would have more of a story emphasis than traditional multiplayer titles, which could introduce new struggles and incentives to whatever the game’s core loop is. It is unknown what the game’s ordinary content will look like, though, so it is anyone’s guess what post-launch content could look like. Either way, the game being free-to-play could pave the way for such content.
Further, microtransactions could be implemented that go toward cosmetics and other ornamental, aesthetic properties. This would allowbeloved memorabilia from previousThe Last of Usgamesto be added, which fans could be happy to purchase without also having to pay for the game itself. Purchasing additional, optional content should always be a decision left to players, and these purchases would be better off not impacting gameplay in order to make everyone’s experiences the same inThe Last of Us’ multiplayer game.
