Modder Cancels The Last of Us Part II Multiplayer Mod, Citing Sony Letter

Modder Speclizer announced on September 13, 2026 that an unofficial multiplayer mod for The Last of Us Part II on PC will not be released, saying a letter sent on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment had requested that the mod not be released. The project had been in development since January and was planned for release in September 2026.

In a post to Speclizer’s X account, the modder wrote: “I recently received a letter on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment requesting for the mod not to be released.”

Speclizer expressed sadness that the project would never see release and thanked followers for their support over the past year. The announcement had drawn more than 540,000 views and more than 8,500 likes on the platform.

25 Minutes of Gameplay and a Factions-Style Feature Set

Speclizer first showed the mod at length in a video titled “25 Minutes of Gameplay – The Last of Us 2 Multiplayer Mod”, uploaded to YouTube on June 21, 2026. The nearly 27-minute video opens on a multiplayer main menu and presents two matches, the first on a custom map and the second on a map called Houses, according to its chapter markers. The video’s description states the mod is for The Last of Us Part II on PC, gives a planned release date of September 2026, and thanks a tester credited with trying the build alongside the creator. The video had logged more than 82,000 views.

The description also offers early access to a project called Starlight through Speclizer’s Patreon page, which the creator describes as a home for making mods and tools for games, and it points followers to a Discord server.

Through August 2026, Speclizer documented the mod’s systems in a series of development posts. On August 19, 2026, the loadout system was fully implemented, including most of the perks Factions had plus new ones, together with a custom in-game backpack menu for purchasing weapons and ammunition. A day later, a limited listen mode was added, repurposing the swim breath meter as a listen mode meter and functioning the same way it does in Factions.

An August 21 post added ammunition drops from kills, with the dropped ammo determined by the weapon used for the kill, matching how the mechanic works in Factions. On August 22, Speclizer shared a gameplay clip showing a new map, healing, health kit pickups, perks including first aid training and agility, the limited listen mode, and the custom backpack menu.

Naughty Dog’s Official Multiplayer Record

On December 14, 2023, Naughty Dog announced it had stopped development of The Last of Us Online, its standalone multiplayer project. The studio said the multiplayer team had been in pre-production on the game since work on The Last of Us Part II, and that the scope of its ambition became clear as the project ramped toward full production. Releasing and supporting the game would have required all studio resources behind post-launch content for years, the studio said, severely impacting development of future single-player games.

Naughty Dog framed the choice as becoming a solely live-service studio or continuing to focus on the single-player narrative games that have defined its heritage. The studio said the learnings and technology investments from the project would carry into how it develops future games, and said it had more than one ambitious, brand-new single-player game in development. Its message was addressed in part to the dedicated The Last of Us Factions community, which the studio said had followed its multiplayer ambitions ardently.

Naughty Dog announced on December 12, 2024 that The Last of Us Part II Remastered would come to PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on April 3, 2025, in a version made with Nixxes Software and Iron Galaxy Studios. The remaster had originally released for PlayStation 5 earlier in 2024, and the PC version carries the campaign alongside the No Return roguelike mode, the Lost Levels with developer commentary, and a Guitar Free Play mode.

What Speclizer Does Next

Speclizer’s X profile describes the creator as focused on modding and exploring games on YouTube, with exclusives offered through Patreon. The cancellation post closed with a thank-you to supporters and a first pointer toward an original project:

“I hope you’ll continue to follow me onto the next project, this time something of my own. Thank you all for the incredible amount of support over the last year. I hope to bring you something bigger and better soon!”