Naughty Dog’s canceled The Last of Us Online was a massive undertaking, not a mere side project. According to journalist Jason Schreier, the project’s high resource demands and long-term support requirements significantly contributed to the studio’s long release hiatus since 2020.
The project was reportedly 80% complete when it was scrapped after seven years of development. Following the cancellation, the majority of the team transitioned over to Naughty Dog’s upcoming title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which is currently in development for PlayStation 5.