Obviously for fans of the first game, the single player of The Last of Us is the shining star, but most people don't often think about the game's built-in multiplayer mode. Over time, the multiplayer mode in the first game almost achieved cult classic status, with several devout players likely still playing it on PS4 to this day. While The Last of Us Part 2 has no built-in multiplayer that came with the game at launch, there's still a standalone multiplayer mode on the way.
Naughty Dog did put out a statement last year that multiplayer would not launch alongside the base game of The Last of Us Part 2, but is in development for a later date. Specifically, the multiplayer mode that was in development by Naughty Dog had grown "beyond an additional mode" to be included with the base game. A standalone multiplayer experience based on The Last of Us Part 2 is on the way at some point, but it may not be The Last of Us Part 2 multiplayer specifically.
Extension or Standalone Experience
Now the statement put out from Naughty Dog back in 2019 definitively said that the multiplayer mode was being delayed indefinitely. The details of the statement, however, are a bit more vague in comparison. Naughty Dog's statement infers that The Last of Us Part 2's multiplayer mode has become far more ambitious than intended, potentially hinting at a standalone release instead of an additional mode. It's very possible development on this multiplayer mode has attained a "vision" of its own and could become a game that's entirely separate from The Last of Us if true.
The statement also could just be inferring that another iteration of the "Factions" multiplayer could return as a separate installment, but still be related to The Last of Us. The statement does note that the development team understands there's still a vested interest in Factions from both the fans and the developers themselves. It's very possible that instead of something brand new from Naughty Dog, this just could be the next evolution for Factions instead. We could be seeing expanded modes, the inclusion of the Clan metagame, all paired with the improved combat mechanics from The Last of Us Part 2.
How Factions Changes with The Last of Us Part 2
Most likely Naughty Dog is working on an expanded, standalone release of Factions with the same engine from The Last of Us Part 2. Instead of Fireflies vs. Hunters, this iteration of Factions would be Wolves vs. Seraphites, all taking place on Seattle and West Coast-themed multiplayer maps. Mainstay modes from the first Factions, like Supply Raid and Survivors, will almost certainly return. Plus there's always potential for new multiplayer modes, ranging from small to large scale raids akin to something like Modern Warfare's Ground War modes. All of this comes alongside the improved gameplay experience in The Last of Us Part 2, which is functionally a huge improvement over the first game's mechanics.
What's more interesting is how Naughty Dog could expand the metagame aspects in Factions. Along with the standard multiplayer modes, Factions had an interesting concept for a metagame where players were micro-managing groups of survivors after each round. Each win or loss in the standard modes resulted in losses/gains in resources for the metagame, which would contribute to the health of players' clans and the survival of their people. It was an interesting justification that could see further expansion in Naughty Dog's next multiplayer effort. Full-on hub worlds or communities of survivors would be interesting as players could witness their progress affecting their groups in real-time.
When To Expect More Naughty Dog Multiplayer
There's obvious potential in the next installment of Naughty Dog's flavor of multiplayer, but the real question is when is it coming out? There's a couple issues with that, mainly because of timing. Naughty Dog last discussed The Last of Us Part 2's multiplayer in September of 2019, and there hasn't been a peep since. There's only five or so months left of the PS4-Xbox One consoles generation, and considering fans haven't heard anything about the mode since, it's a safe bet Naughty Dog will save it for next generation. The Last of Us Part 2 will almost certainly show up on the PS5 eventually, whether it's an enhanced port or simply part of backwards compatibility. Unless The Last of Us Part 2's multiplayer releases in the next two months, Naughty Dog would be smart to coincide the release with next-gen consoles.
Of course, as mentioned previously, that's all contingent on whether or not this multiplayer project is still considered an extension of The Last of Us Part 2. If it's a completely separate standalone experience, then it likely wouldn't release on PS4 because at that point it's a new game. Considering PlayStation only does cross-generational releases on a case-by-case basis (usually with third-party games), it simply wouldn't make sense to put out a new game on what's soon to be an old console.
The Last of Us Part 2 Multiplayer is in development.