Naughty Dog is currently hard at work on its next big project, and as the studio said on The Last of Us day, that project is Factions. Making a multiplayer-focused spin-off as opposed to adding multiplayer to The Last of Us 2 implies that the game will be a lot deeper, something that a Naughty Dog job listing seems to back up.
On the studio’s official website, a section for job applications can be found. One of the available positions is that of a senior monetization and economy designer, a role that is hugely important to any games as a service title. For the most part, the job description highlights the potential hire’s need to make a “player-friendly economy” that also boosts revenue for the project. However, it is the required experience section that should prove interesting to Naughty Dog fans that are curious about how Factions will differ from its predecessor.
According to this job listing, The Last of Us 2’s Factions spin-off may feature some RPG elements. One of the requirements and skills Naughty Dog is looking for is someone that has worked on a “fundamental RPG game system” at any scale. No more details are provided beyond this, though the suggestion that RPG elements will feature in this standalone game is intriguing. While it is purely speculation, there are a few ways that such a system could be included.
One standout element of many RPGs is character creation, and that is something that could potentially feature in The Last of Us’ Factions spinoff. In the original game, players did not control characters like Joel and Ellie in online play, as they were instead placed into the shoes of a random Firefly or Hunter once they spawned in. In the sequel, players may still align themselves with a faction (likely the Seraphites or WLF), but this time around they could make their own character. This would be important to a monetization expert, as this time around, players could purchase more than just hats and helmets for their avatar.
Outside of custom characters and tons of paid outfits for them, RPG elements could refer to an entirely different system. The original Factions featured a meta game where players needed to take care of a camp, collecting resources in their matches to keep their survivors alive. It is possible that this new The Last of Us game expands upon this mechanic, letting players actually enter their camps and build them up over time. Here, they could have dialogue trees with their survivors, explaining the mention of RPG experience in the job listing.
Obviously, these are nothing more than theories and should be taken with a massive grain of salt. For now, all that The Last of Us community knows is that Naughty Dog’s Factions spin-off could apparently have RPG elements of some kind.