“Robust longevity” also suggests that the game will be supported over the years, potentially incorporating live service features that speak to the listing summary, which mentions the importance of providing players with “great rewards to strive for.” Naughty Dog is looking for candidates experienced in “player psychology” and “narrative tone,” suggesting there may be some sort of story threaded throughout the experience.
Have you played The Last of Us Part II?
It seems likely that the successful candidate could be working on the standalone ‘Factions’ equivalent for The Last of Us Part 2. Factions in The Last of Us was a survival multiplayer spin-off that pit teams of players against each other, utilising the combat seen in the game’s campaign. Back in September 2019, Naughty Dog said that The Last of Us Part 2 wouldn’t include an online mode, but added that players “will eventually experience the fruits of our team’s online ambition, but not as part of The Last of Us Part II.”
The post wraps up by saying that Naughty Dog is “excited to share more when it’s ready.” This can be interpreted two ways, either Naughty Dog is creating a multiplayer game unrelated to The Last of Us 2 or is working on an in-universe multiplayer spin-off disconnected from the single-player experience. Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann said at the start of March that the studio is working on “several cool things,” and hopefully we’ll hear more about them soon. In other The Last of Us 2 news, check out this article about how hard it was to implement doors in the game.
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
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