Seven years of work. Eighty percent complete. Then nothing.
Vinit Agarwal, the former game director on The Last of Us multiplayer project (known internally as TLOU Online), has spoken out about the cancellation that ended what many of his colleagues considered one of the best multiplayer experiences they had ever played. His response to watching it get shelved? A personal vow he's carrying into every project going forward.
TLOU Online: never released
What Agarwal actually said
Posting on social media, Agarwal didn't hold back. "It's wild how many of my ex-colleagues still message me today saying how amazing TLOU Online was going to be," he wrote, noting that some former teammates called it "the best multiplayer game they've ever played." The messages are still coming in, apparently, even now.
That internal belief in the project makes the cancellation sting harder. His vow was direct: "Never going to let what I work on not see the light of day again."
That's a significant statement from someone who spent a decade at Naughty Dog. The key here is that Agarwal isn't just venting, he's already acting on it. He founded his own studio in Japan in July 2025, a move that puts him in full control of what ships and what doesn't.
The cancellation that's still haunting people
The Last of Us Online was cancelled in December 2023, with Naughty Dog citing a desire to return focus to single-player experiences rather than dedicate the entire studio to sustaining a live-service game long-term. At the time, Agarwal described the moment as "soul-crushing" after seven years on the project.
The story got more complicated from there. Reports emerged that Bungie, brought in to consult, assessed the project and concluded it wasn't strong enough to compete in the current live-service market. Insiders noted that "heads rolled at Sony" following the cancellation. And earlier this month, Xbox co-creator Laura Fryer raised a pointed question: "Where was the planning?" when reflecting on why the project was greenlit in the first place without a clear path to completion.
Perhaps the most striking detail to surface: TLOU Online was reportedly 80% complete when it was shut down.
The cancellation of TLOU Online remains one of the most discussed examples of a live-service game failing before launch, with the project reportedly near completion when Naughty Dog pulled the plug.
What this means for Agarwal's next move
Founding an independent studio is the logical response to losing control of a project at someone else's company. Agarwal spent roughly a decade at Naughty Dog, and the cancellation clearly left a mark that goes beyond professional disappointment.
Here's the thing: the live-service graveyard is full of games that looked great internally and stumbled publicly. Concord lasted two weeks after launch. Hyenas never made it out. The gap between internal enthusiasm and player reception is real, and no amount of colleague praise guarantees a hit. But Agarwal's frustration isn't really about whether TLOU Online would have succeeded. It's about never getting the chance to find out.
Running his own studio means the decision to ship, or not, stays with him. That's the entire point.
For more on what's happening across the industry right now, check out our latest gaming news, and keep an eye on what Agarwal's new Japan-based studio announces next.
