A PvP multiplayer mod for The Last of Us Part II, which had been in development on PC since January 2026, will no longer be released. The project’s creator, known as Speclizer, revealed on social media that they received a letter on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment requesting the mod not be made public.
Behind-the-scenes motion capture for The Last of Us Part II, with Troy Baker, Neil Druckmann, and Ashley Johnson. Photo: Sam White (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Nine Months of Work, Almost Ready
“As you all know, the TLOU 2 Multiplayer mod that has been in development since January was supposed to [be released] this month,” Speclizer wrote on social media. “Unfortunately I recently received a letter on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment requesting for the mod not to be released. Extremely sad that this never got to see the light of day but I hope you’ll continue to follow me onto the next project, this time something of my own.”
The developer had uploaded about 25 minutes of gameplay footage back in June, showing off mechanics like a listening system to locate enemies, various perks, and a set of maps not found in the base game. The project also included a paid component funded through Patreon — likely the reason it caught the attention of Sony’s legal team, since monetized mods tend to be easier targets for takedown requests.
- 9 months of development
Speclizer started the mod in January 2026 — the cancellation letter arrived in September, right as launch was approaching.
A History of Cancellations
This isn’t the first time a Last of Us multiplayer project has hit a frustrating dead end. Naughty Dog itself cancelled its own official multiplayer project, “The Last of Us Online,” in late 2023 — reportedly around 80% complete — to focus resources on the franchise’s single-player games. The multiplayer mode from the original The Last of Us (2013) is also fondly remembered for turning the campaign’s stealth gameplay into a tense, more emergent experience between players.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered, the current PC version of the game — the base the cancelled mod was built on. Image: Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment (via Steam).
It remains unclear whether Sony has any real appetite for a Last of Us multiplayer project, given the community’s recurring interest in both the cancelled official title and this fan-made mod.
