A Battle Royale Mode Could Be Coming To The Last Of Us Part II

A series of hidden multiplayer assets suggest a battle royale mode could be coming to The Last of Us Part II’s standalone multiplayer game, Factions 2. At this point, what major development studio isn’t working on a battle royale mode?

YouTuber Speclizer claims to have found a number of multiplayer assets in The Last of Us Part II’s files that could imply a battle royale mode was originally in the works for the 2020 game. Specifically, they found an in-game map item featuring locations from the single-player campaign, something called a “listen mode device”, a dog collar, remote control, and more.

In the video below, the leaker breaks down each item they found after reading into the game’s files, before exploring sections of environments referenced in the in-game map they found, showing how they relate to environments taken from The Last of Us Part II’s single-player campaign. They also claim that they’ve found a list of archived backpack and armour files, which could add to the theory.

In September 2019, Naughty Dog announced that The Last of Us Part II would not include an online mode. The multiplayer feature was reportedly shelved for a later date so the team could prioritise the single-player campaign. Footage of said multiplayer mode was reportedly leaked around the time the game was released.

“As development began on the evolution of our Factions mode from The Last of Us Part I, the vision of the team grew beyond an additional mode that could be included with our enormous single-player campaign,” they said in a statement at the time.

“You will eventually experience the fruits of our team’s online ambition, but not as part of The Last of Us Part II. When and where it will be realised is still to be determined.”

An update regarding multiplayer: pic.twitter.com/CUd98LgJGC

— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) September 27, 2019

If this leak is true, Naughty Dog wouldn’t be the only studio to try and add a battle royale feature to their preexisting single-player game franchise.

Back in February, Square Enix announced Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, a free-to-play battle royale for iOS and Android set in the Final Fantasy VII Remake universe.

There’s also Spellbreak, a battle royale starring Avatar: The Last Airbender-like wizards, and modes in Pac-Man, Fallout 76 and *checks notes* Super Mario Bros.

As of publishing, Naughty Dog has not publicly commented on the leaked multiplayer mode in The Last of Us Part II.