Naughty Dog has made it clear publicly for quite some time that it is working on a new multiplayer game that will likely take place within the world of The Last of Us Part II. This game was originally planned to be a separate game mode that launched with the second installment of The Last of Us in 2020, but it eventually surpassed the original scope that Naughty Dog had. To date, the project is still in development, but details about what it might have in store have been largely kept under wraps. Fortunately, based on a recent Naughty Dog job listing, it looks like we might now have more information to go on.
Seen in a new role for senior monetization designer at Naughty Dog, the studio has made it clear that you are looking for help when it comes to building an in-game economy for your multiplayer title. “We seek to bring the same level of ambition and quality of our signature story-based games to this unique multiplayer project, which is why we are looking for an experienced, creative, and collaborative Monetization Designer to help us build an incredible gamer – friendly economy.” read a job description. “This position will have the opportunity to be very innovative and make its mark by developing a world-class economic system from scratch.”
What’s interesting about this job description is what it might imply for The Last of Us Part II multiplayer experience. For starters, it seems clear that microtransactions of some kind will end up being around. Given how the gaming industry has evolved over the years on this front, it seems quite likely that these in-game purchases will only be cosmetic in nature, but fewer are likely to be included.
What this monetization structure could also mean is that this The Last of Us 2 multiplayer game could end up being free. A new trend in recent years has seen major publishers launch titles like Halo Infinite, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and many others at no cost, only to rely on money from various battle passes and other monetization options to rack up money. There’s no guarantee that PlayStation will end up doing that here with the multiplayer iteration of The Last of Us 2, but this job post suggests that it might be possible.
For now, we still have no idea when this next Naughty Dog multiplayer project will end up seeing the light of day, but chances are high that we will end up learning more over the course of 2022.
Fountain: defect
