A highly anticipated multiplayer mod for The Last of Us Part 2 on PC has been permanently shelved after its creator received a formal request from Sony Interactive Entertainment to halt the project. Modder Speclizer, who had been developing the PvP experience since January 2026, announced the cancellation on social media just weeks before its planned September release, calling the outcome “extremely sad” while thanking supporters and promising to move on to an original project of their own.
The mod, which operated under the name Starlight, had been shaping up to be a substantial addition to Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed single-player game. Over the course of nine months of development, Speclizer had implemented features including public matchmaking, a loadout system with perks, listening mechanics mirroring the base game’s stealth gameplay, and a collection of original maps not found in the single-player campaign. The modder had been sharing regular development updates on YouTube, including a 25-minute gameplay showcase posted back in June.
While Sony has not publicly commented on the takedown, multiple outlets point to one likely factor that drew the company’s legal attention: monetization. As noted by Rock Paper Shotgun, Speclizer had been offering early access to the mod through a Patreon page, a move that tends to escalate the legal risk for unofficial projects considerably. Paid components attached to fan-made mods have historically been a red line for major publishers, and Sony appears to have treated this case no differently.
The cancellation adds a layer of irony to the situation, given that Naughty Dog itself abandoned its own ambitious multiplayer project, The Last of Us Online, back in December 2023. That game was reportedly around 80 percent complete when the studio pulled the plug, citing concerns that sustaining a live-service title would consume resources needed for future single-player development. Former Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida and the project’s own director have both spoken highly of the cancelled game, with early testers reportedly calling it one of the best multiplayer experiences they had ever played.
Speclizer is not the first modder to run afoul of PlayStation’s legal team. As Rock Paper Shotgun noted, the developer behind the fan-made Bloodborne Kart was forced to rebrand the project in 2024 after receiving similar contact from Sony. The pattern underscores the precarious position fan creators occupy, particularly when working with intellectual property belonging to companies that have not established mod-friendly policies.
Despite the setback, the demand for a Last of Us multiplayer experience remains evident. The original game’s Factions mode cultivated a devoted following with its tense, stealth-driven PvP gameplay, and both the cancelled official project and the shuttered mod suggest a community eager for more. Whether Sony will ever revisit multiplayer in the franchise remains uncertain, as GameSpot reports Naughty Dog currently has two single-player titles in the pipeline, including the recently revealed Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and a second unannounced game widely speculated to be The Last of Us Part 3.