Last year saw the release of The Last of Us Part 2 to massive critical acclaim. The long in development and highly anticipated game was seen as quite an achievement by its fans, but it did lack the mutliplayer mode that the first game had. A new hire points to the potential multiplayer title of some kind coming from the studio.
As reported by GameSpot, Naughty Dog is in the process of hiring for an Economy Designer for an unspecified multiplayer project. Part of the description details looking for someone to “create avenues for self-expression for our players, ensure robust longevity to our games, and give our players great rewards to strive for.” The language here seems pretty live service-based, though it’s hard to say for sure. The Last of Us Part 2 is not explicitly mentioned here, but it was said at one point that Factions would return in some fashion.
Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann has urged patience about their next project, so whatever this is could still be a ways off. Whether it’ll be an add-on to The Last of Us Part 2, a standalone version of the Factions multiplayer or an entirely new project remains to be seen.