The wave of layoffs in the video game industry continues. Sources at Kotaku have confirmed that Naughty Dog, creators of The Last of Us and Uncharted, have begun laying off contract workers. As if that wasn’t enough, The Last of Us multiplayer is in limbo. Although no one canceled ithis development was paralyzed.
The termination of those contracts was announced this week, according to two close sources consulted by the media. Some employees of the art department were injured, but most of those who were laid off worked in the quality department. The reduction took place by at least 25 people, despite the fact that there are no full-time employees among them.
According to these sources, Naughty Dog did not offer any compensation to the layoffs, while they asked their employees not to reveal the news. Their contracts will run until the end of Octoberso the company hopes developers will continue to work for the rest of the month.
The Last of Us Factions, problems
The development of The Last of Us multiplayer game was not easy. First It was planned to come free with The Last of Us Part 2, but the studio delayed and explained that the project had grown so much that it had acquired its own personality. However, in May 2023, Bloomberg reported that Naughty Dog had downsized the team after Bungie, the creators of Destiny, warned that they did not understand the long-term viability of the game.
The Last of Us Part 1 is a remake of the first part for PS5 and PC, it’s Naughty Dog’s latest title. Read our analysis here. The PC version port was heavily criticized for its lack of optimization.
