The Last of Us may not have campaign co-op - but according to a job ad, a different co-op mode could be on the cards.
Published on Oct 15, 2012
The Last of Us, Naughty Dog's post-Uncharted, post-apocalyptic action game has not had any multiplayer details revealed thus far, but that doesn't mean the Sony studio isn't working on it - and it could well be a co-op mode according to a new Naughty Dog vacancy.
Creative director Neil Druckmann confirmed multiplayer for the game back in June, with the stipulation that "it is not co-op within the main campaign."
It could well be a variation on co-op action though, with the developer hiring for a co-op Game Designer.
Among the requirements are the following:
- Co-op AI & encounter design - designing and scripting co-op combat encounters, AI behavior design, and difficulty balancing.
- Co-op system design - creating mechanics, game modes, progression systems, reward structures, social features, etc. to serve the co-op experience.
- Creating and iterating gameplay designs with the team, and working in script to implement and/or tune them.
- Experience designing levels for single player for co-op console games
- Strong understanding of co-op level design and encounter design
- Strong understanding of co-op gameplay mechanics
- A strong passion to innovate in the area of co-op design
It all potentially fits The Last of Us as far as we can tell, especially compared to other Naughty Dog franchises.
It sounds as if Naughty Dog wants to do for co-op, what it did for multiplayer in Uncharted 3 - with talk of social features, AI, combat, scripting and the 'passion to innovate' part.
Maybe multiplayer in The Last of Us hasn't even got off the drawing board yet? How would you like to see the studio innovate with co-op?
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