The Last Of Us 2 Leak Reveals Battle Royale Multiplayer

The Last Of Us is a symbol for the capabilities of a single-player narrative in gaming. The game’s boundary-pushing, heart-wrenching, story is one that has touched and disturbed many - whether they be seasoned gamers or outsiders looking to experience Joel & Ellie’s journey for the first time.

HBO Max is currently working on a TV series based on the games, which stands as a testament that The Last Of Us could be the greatest story video games have ever produced. So, the suggestion of a multiplayer mode has raised some eyebrows.

The controversial sequel to the game, The Last Of Us Part II, was set to receive its own multiplayer mode, but it’s been a while now without any word on it. The 2020 game never shipped with a multiplayer mode attached, and now some data leaks have suggested the mode that was once intended to be packaged with the game is set to be its own standalone game.

If rumours are to be believed, it could be coming with a very familiar mode, too.

The Last Of Us 2’s Multiplayer Rumoured To Feature Battle Royale

YouTuber Speclizer has been digging around in assets that have been datamined from the code of The Last Of Us Part II’s single-player mode, and has found some intriguing suggestions. They've discovered a map prop that could be for a battle royale mode. It looks like it uses elements from the game’s single-player mode.

The Last of Us 2 battle royale mode is also suggested by the appearance of in-game items associated with battle royales, like armour and other loot. There's also a compass, player count and emote wheel - all commonplace in the genre.

This leak is to be taken with a pinch of salt. If these items are pulled from the single-player code, there’s every chance this mode could have been scrapped entirely between the game’s launch and now. For the time being, let’s assume that there’s a The Last Of Us battle royale on the way.

Can A The Last Of Us Battle Royale Really Work?

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Though The Last Of Us has some pretty flashy gunplay and its controls are tight enough to carry a competitive online title, Naughty Dog might struggle to make the mode feel essential in, or even a part of, the mythos of the game.

Every action that is performed in The Last of Us and its controversial sequel are guided by the motives of its characters. Without that element, can it really hold its own as an addition to the game’s world?

This all remains to be seen, but in the meantime, we’re curious to see how this battle royale will work and how it will set itself apart from the BR market that’s already awash with all the innovation it can manage. With Naughty Dog’s incredible vision, though, we reckon a The Last of Us 2 battle royale would be in pretty safe hands.

Check out our The Last of Us guides here:

The Last of Us 3 release date | The Last of US TV release date