Naughty Dog has finally confirmed that it is working on a "standalone" multiplayer title, widely believed to be a Factions sequel for The Last of Us Part 2.
The announcement comes as part of a hiring push from Naughty Dog. The studio has a separate Twitter account for jobs at the studio, and the latest post outright confirms what many have been saying ever since The Last of Us Part 2's release.
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The Tweet says, "Naughty Dog is hiring across multiple disciplines for the studio's first standalone multiplayer game". No more details are given, but the image used for the Tweet shows Ellie standing above Seattle with a sniper rifle in her hand. The use of an image from the Last of Us is just another clue in a series of not-so-subtle hints as to what the project is.
It's pretty much one of the gaming industry's worst kept secrets that The Last of Us Part 2 is getting a Factions expansion, with Neil Druckmann hinting at it earlier in the year, and the studio commenting on the mode's removal from the game's release, clarifying that it was working to expand it and release it as its own title. Since then, the studio has been hiring for multiplayer projects, although remaining quiet on why.
What's interesting about this Tweet is that it states that the multiplayer project is a "standalone" one, meaning that it will likely be released as its own separate thing from The Last of Us Part 2. Whether that means it'll be free or not isn't too clear, but it's worth noting that the studio is hiring for a "monetization and economy designer", hinting that it could be a free-to-play title with microtransactions.
Earlier this month, players were able to discover code hidden within The Last of Us Part 2 that revealed a possible battle royale mode will be included in the multiplayer expansion, once again proving how poorly hidden of a secret Factions 2 is.
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