Naughty Dog has recently started advertising for an "Economy Designer" to work on an unnamed Multiplayer Game. Could this be a sign that Factions is indeed on the way?

It doesn't give a lot away, as you might imagine, but it is a promising development even if you're not the biggest fan of TLOU2. Factions is a fantastic multiplayer experience and Naughty Dog's other IPs would all make for brilliant Multiplayer experiences.

Naughty Dog may have announced that we're not getting multiplayer as a part of The Last of Us Part II, but they didn't say Factions was never coming.

" You will eventually experience the fruits of our team’s online ambition, but not as part of The Last of Us Part II..."

Could this unnamed Multiplayer Game be the fruits we're waiting for? Would Factions work as a standalone multiplayer experience?

You can check out the job listing for yourself here and make of it what you will.

No Mention Doesn't Mean No Factions

We may not have had any mention of TLOU2 or Factions ar PlayStation's recent State of Play presentation, but that doesn't mean it's never coming.

Or, more accurately, that doesn't mean we won't be getting any multiplayer content at all.

The Factions multiplayer mode has become a "cult classic" multiplayer mode among fans of The Last of Us. However, there is a lot more TLOU2 could do with multiplayer if they wanted to?

TLOU2 Multiplayer Ellie Dina Jackson Balcony — CO-OP? - Would you like to play a narrative-based TLOU2 expansion with a friend?

CO-OP? - Would you like to play a narrative-based TLOU2 expansion with a friend?

Co-Operative expeditions would be a fantastic way to tie-in the narrative beats of the early-game story with a multiplayer experience.

Or, some sort of "horde mode" would equally fit the series well if competitive multiplayer wasn't something Naughty Dog wanted to focus on.

There's a lot that can be done with TLOU2 and multiplayer features and fans are continually asking Naughty Dog for more from the Game of the Year-winning title.

Possible Game Modes

Looking back at TLOU's Factions mode, we can get an idea of what could return to the mode when it is released for The Last of Us Part 2.

Supply Raid is just a different name for a traditional Team Deathmatch. However, in TLOU2, could Naughty Dog put a better spin on the mode to help it seem more unique?

Survivors is a one-life deathmatch. Unlike in other titles, Survivors doesn't have an objective to play for and is focused purely on killing the other team.

TLOU2 Factions Multiplayer Abbie Fighting Ellie end of game — FIGHT! - Could we see an improved melee combat system in TLOU2's multiplayer?

FIGHT! - Could we see an improved melee combat system in TLOU2's multiplayer?

Could we see a more traditional objective-based mode make it's way to the TLOU2 Factions multiplayer?

Interrogation is the one mode that needs to return, though. In this mode, you must capture and interrogate a member of the enemy team to find hidden Lockbox locations.

This isn't something you see every day so Naughty Dog should definitely consider developing this concept

Release Date

At the moment, there is no confirmed release date for TLOU2 Factions Multiplayer.

In fact, we don't even really know if Factions is coming to TLOU2 at all. However, with a State of Play presentation due soon, we may get some answers.

PlayStation has confirmed that at least 10 PS4 and PS5 games are going to appear in the 30-minute presentation with deep dives and new announcements promised!

TLOU2 Factions Multiplayer Ellie Shotgun woods — SURVIVE - TLOU2 is all about survival and Factions will push that to the extreme

SURVIVE - TLOU2 is all about survival and Factions will push that to the extreme

Out of all this, fans are expecting some news regarding the next-gen version of TLOU2 and/or some additional story content. However, Factions is the thing that everyone believes is really on the way.

Factions Explained

Factions in The Last of Us was like any other multiplayer experience, for the most part.

It featured Team Deathmatch modes, objective-based gameplay, and all the single-player mechanics that makes TLOU play so well.

However, there was one thing that did make it a little different. The Clan System added an over-arching light narrative to the whole experience.

Each phase would last twelve days and each multiplayer match would advance the timer by a day. During this, you'd have to build up your Clan's strength and win supplies in multiplayer games in order to make sure your Clan was the best it could be by the end of the period.

TLOU2 Factions Multiplayer TLOU Crossbow Soldier — FACTIONS - TLOU's Multiplayer featured in the remastered version of the game

FACTIONS - TLOU's Multiplayer featured in the remastered version of the game

It was a fun twist on traditional Multiplayer gameplay and TLOU2 is perfectly situated to bring Factions back and re-invent the way it works.

How Would It Work

With a lot of TLOU2's narrative coming from the conflict between Ellie and Abby, their two factions would make a perfect basis for the Factions Multiplayer mode.

Rather than the Fireflies and Hunters, Naughty Dog could introduce the Jackson Faction and the WLF as the two sides in this conflict.

It would also be a fantastic chance for Naughty Dog to streamline and improve their Clan System.

TLOU2 Factions Multiplayer Ellie Knife Combat — SIDES - Who will you side with? The Jackson Settlement or the WLF?

SIDES - Who will you side with? The Jackson Settlement or the WLF?

Although it was a good idea and provided something different for players, it often got sidelined by the actual gameplay.

In order to create a better overall experience for TLOU2 players, the new Factions Multiplayer mode should make sure it prioritises this area of the game.

Is Factions Multiplayer making its way to TLOU2?

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