Called it.
"If the vice-president at Naughty Dog says that there's no multiplayer in The Last of Us - Part II, then there's no multiplayer. It's that simple. Why else risk a blowback? If the multiplayer component internally is planned to release at a later date, don't you think they would've come out and said that instead of upsetting their fanbase?
Personally I think the single player- and multiplayer components became equally ambitious and they had to scale back. Now that doesn't necessarily mean the multiplayer component got canceled - I mean it could, but I don't think so - what I choose to believe, is that Naughty Dog has decided to make it its own thing, 'a standalone multiplayer game set in the world of The Last of Us', which will release 1-1½ years after The Last of Us - Part II.
2013: The Last of Us
2014: The Last of Us: Left Behind (standalone DLC)
2016: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
2017: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (standalone DLC)
- "Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a new adventure in the series starring Chloe Frazer. The game will be offered as both a stand-alone title and as part of the Uncharted 4 season pass---though you only have until December 13th to purchase the season pass or the Digital Deluxe version of the game which comes with the season pass."
- Forbes
2020: The Last of Us - Part II
2021: Untitled The Last of Us multiplayer game"
