Naughty Dog reportedly laying off contractors as Last of Us spin-off in doubt

In what has been a brilliant year for gamers but an awful one for the industry's employees, another big-name developer has put the sword to their workforce. In the latest of a string of cuts in 2023, developer Naughty Dog has reportedly issued a number of lay-offs to a number of their contractors.

In addition to this unfortunate news comes a worrying update for a highly-anticipated game. Following the success of The Last of Us, many fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of the franchise's multiplayer spin-off. While the game is not by any means cancelled, it is rumoured that the title is "on ice."

Naughty Dog severs ties with multiple contractors

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Credit: Naughty Dog

It was a tough September for employees in the gaming industry, headlined by the huge cuts issued by Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite and Fall Guys, who laid off approximately 16% of their workforce. It appears that October is off to a sombre start as well, as Naughty Dog is set to let go of 25 contractors at the end of this month.

According to a report by Kotaku, the layoffs were communicated internally last week with existing employees pressured to be tight-lipped about the situation. It does not appear to have an impact on the full-time employees, but nonetheless will affect contractors. Of the 25, most are alleged to be in quality assurance testing, with no severance being offered when terminations go into effect at the end of October.

The Last Of Us spin-off is very much in doubt

To coincide with the unfortunate news of layoffs, it appears that the multiplayer spin-off of The Last of Us is "on ice." The game, which is yet to be officially titled and is inspired by the first game's Factions mode, is not officially cancelled but does not seem to be recovering from the negative internal review it received back in June.

While there is no need for panic about the game's cancellation, at this stage fans of the franchise shouldn't hold their breath. Given the negative review was given several months ago and the latest update doesn't appear positive either, we could see the plug pulled on the game altogether. If not, it may be a while before the game makes a release: no doubt Sony and Naughty Dog will want to make sure their title is in pristine condition to avoid tarnishing the reputation of one of their biggest franchise in recent years.

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