Naughty Dog is currently hiring for a standalone multiplayer game that could well be the Factions component left out of The Last of Us 2.

A new job listing posted by Naughty Dog has revealed the studio is hiring for an unspecified standalone multiplayer game. The two new ads to surface this week have revealed the studio is in the market for a level designer and a gameplay scripter to help with "Naughty Dog's newest adventure". The project will be its very first standalone multiplayer game.

"We’re seeking to bring the same level of ambition and quality of our signature, story-driven games to this unique multiplayer project," the ad states. Naughty Dog's focus tends to be on in-depth single-player stories, something you need look no further than The Last of Us for evidence of. Speaking of which, it's expected that the game being referenced is The Last Of Us Part 2's lost multiplayer component.

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As was the case with the first game, The Last Of Us 2 was expected to have its very own multiplayer mode, Factions. Months before the sequel hit the market, Naughty Dog vice president Neil Druckmann revealed that the follow-up wouldn't be getting a multiplayer mode. Instead, the studio's resources were focused on making the base game the biggest it has ever done. More than 300 Game of the Year awards later, mission accomplished.

However, it seems as if The Last Of Us 2 did have a multiplayer mode at some point, an unfinished one. The studio has even mentioned it, promising fans of the franchise that it would come some time after the sequel was released. There has even been footage leaked online of what seemed to be an improved version of Factions from the original game, further suggesting the sequel's multiplayer has been in the works for a while.

If Naughty Dog's new standalone project is going to be another take on The Last Of Us's Factions, odds are it will be very different from the original game. It will need to offer a lot more than the first to warrant its own release. Plus, the new ads and comments made previously suggest it may even tell another chapter of The Last Of Us's story. As for what else fans of The Last Of Us have to look forward to, a PS5 remaster of the original game is in the works, and apparently the story for Part 3 has already been written.

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