Summary
Sony’s push into the live-service market hasn’t quite gone to plan so far. All the way back in February 2022, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki announced that the company had plans to launch “more than 10” live-service games by March 2026. By November of last year, Sony had already backtracked on that initial plan, reducing that number to just six. As of the time of writing,Helldivers 2is the only true success ofSony’s live-service push, and unfortunately,The Last of Us Onlineis its biggest failure.
After delayingThe Last of Us Part 2’s promised multiplayer mode just weeks out from its scheduled launch, many fans had lost hope that they’d ever get to see anotherLast of Usmultiplayer title, which is whyThe Last of Us Online’s announcement was such a huge deal to many. But after a few reports concerning the spinoff’s development hit the internet last year, those same fans grew wary, and right at the end of 2023,The Last of Us' multiplayer spin-off was canceled. Though little is officially known about the game, one of the biggest things fans were looking forward to was the possibility of it retroactively fleshing out someLast of Uslore, specifically relating to factions like the Seraphites and the WLF.
The Last of Us Online Could Have Given the WLF and Seraphites More Screen Time
Though they get a good amount of screen time inThe Last of Us Part 2, theWashington Liberation Front and the Seraphitesstill feel a tad half-baked, at least in terms of the game’s main story content. While playing as Abby gives fans a much better insight into how the WLF operate on a day-to-day basis, and playing alongside Lev and Yara shines more light on the Seraphites' way of life, there’s still a lot about both factions that players don’t know.
Admittedly, eager players are able to find out a little more about bothLast of Us Part 2factionsby finding all the game’s hidden notes, some of which detail the origins of the WLF and Isaac’s rise to power, as well as give better insight into Seraphite traditions.The Last of Us Part 2also has some great environmental storytelling, with players stumbling upon WLF encampments and Seraphite shrines along their journey that further unravel the mysteries behind each faction. But while all this is good stuff, and more than enough forThe Last of Us Part 2, it would have been great to see even more potentially inThe Last of Us Online.
Aside from one or two screenshots, practically nothing was ever revealed aboutThe Last of Us' multiplayer spin-off, at least not in any official capacity. That being said, if the game leaned into the same factions premise asThe Last of Us 1’s online mode like many expected it to, then it would make a lot of sense to see the WLF and Seraphites again, though the game would probably need to have been set before their presumed downfall towards the end ofThe Last of Us Part 2. Had that happened, players could have been able to live within a Seraphite or WLF camp and see the world through the eyes of a basic member of either faction.
One of the only screenshots released forThe Last of Us' multiplayer spin-off teased a San Francisco setting, which could have resulted in a completely different set of factions being used regardless.
There’s Still Room for the WLF and Seraphites to be Explored in HBO’s The Last of Us
Thankfully, all hope is not lost for fans longing to learn more about the WLF and the Seraphites. If it follows a similar pattern to the first season,HBO’sThe Last of UsSeason 2will probably end up adding quite a bit more context and detail to some of the second game’s major moments, characters, and factions. This could potentially mean that the WLF and Seraphites are given more than enough time to shine, and withTLoU Onlinecanceled, this would certainly be welcome.
The Last of Us Part 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Play the winner of over 300 Game of the Year awards, remastered for the PlayStation®5 console. Relive or play for the first time Ellie and Abby’s story, now with graphical enhancements, new gameplay modes like the roguelike survival experience No Return, full DualSense® wireless controller integration, and more. Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closur
