We were tantalisingly close the release date of The Last of Us 2, but COVID-19 has pulled it away again.
Seven years after the original landed in our hearts the much-anticipated sequel is still making fans wait.
From a 9.2 user score on Metacritic to a sackful of awards, the original was a triumph for developers Naughty Dog.
Most people loved The Last of Us thanks to its thrilling and cinematic campaign that featured masterful writing and was centred on the endearing relationship of its two central characters.
What often won't be brought up though, is The Last of Us' multiplayer mode. Unknown to many, it was called Factions and was surprisingly good.
Through player investment and a few tweaks, Factions was a tense, addictive, and competitive experience with a survivalist edge reminiscent of the single-player experience.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about The Last of Us 2
With The Last of Us 2 coming later this year, many fans of the series want to know if the online multiplayer mode will be making a triumphant return...
Factions multiplayer mode
QUIET: The atmospheric campaign could be the best of 2020
The Last of Us 2 will not hit the shelve for a while, but pre-orders are still open for nearly every edition going.
The story will surely be as amazing as the original, fans could have to wait for an online multiplayer experience.
There looks to be no sign of a resurgence of the Factions multiplayer mode on Last Us 2, with lead game designer Emilia Schatz revealing to USgamer that “we’re focusing on a single-player experience, so we’re just making a single-player game for this”.
There are hints that it may come eventually though.
For a game that is primarily single-player, it is not a bad thing that Naughty Dog are concentrating on that experience.
But there could be a stand-alone multiplayer game coming. The Last of Us: Factions certainly has a ring to it, and wether it comes as a DLC somewhere down the road or as an entirely new game, it is sure to be a success.
Plot
Set five years on from The Last of Us, Ellie is in the safe-zone of Jacksonville, patrolling the parameters alongside her long-time friend, and romantic interest, Dina.
TIL DEATH DO US PART: New character Dina is a love interest of Ellie
It seems that Ellie is fed up of the state of the rest of the country, and heads to Seattle where the city has been taken over by a militia known as the WLF.
They have a zero-tolerance policy on those not from Seattle, and this is where Ellie bumps into Joel.
“You think I’d let you do this on your own?”