“The Last of Us Part 2” developer Naughty Dog recently announced it is changing the name of an annual event for its fans. It has also somehow led to speculations that the highly requested online multiplayer could be confirmed during the occasion.
Naughty Dog rebrands ‘Outbreak Day’ to ‘The Last of Us Day’
Since the action-adventure series debuted, celebrating the Outbreak Day every Sept. 26 has been part of the tradition for “The Last of Us” developers and fans. The date corresponds with the same day when the spread of the Cordyceps Brain Infection reached a peak level, which explains the annual event’s name.
The name, however, hits too close to home this year with a real-life global pandemic. Naughty Dog then decided that the commemorative occasion will now be directly named after the title of the game. “This Saturday and moving forward, September 26 will be known as The Last of Us Day -- a name that not only acknowledges the world around us, but also reflects the growth of the community,” Naughty Dog said in a statement.
What to expect from the first ‘The Last of Us Day’?
The previous Outbreak Day celebrations were marked with the release of new and free content for “The Last of Us” players, such as free PlayStation themes, PSN avatars, and exclusive posters. It also usually paves the way for some major announcements.
With Naughty Dog confirming that it has something prepared for Sept. 26, some fans are hoping for more than just the usual free digital content. The celebration of The Last of Us Day, some suggest, could also include the much-awaited update on the online multiplayer gameplay for “The Last of Us Part 2.”
Is there going to be a ‘The Last of Us Part 2’ multiplayer?
Avid believers of a second “Factions” release are not wrong to keep their hopes up. For one, Naughty Dog never explicitly dismissed the possibility of “The Last of Us Part 2” getting a multiplayer. When the developer confirmed the base game is launching without an online mode, it only implied that the single-player campaign and the multiplayer have both become big projects to be released together.
While Naughty Dog is yet to announce an online multiplayer gameplay based on “The Last of Us Part 2,” there are clues that the next “Factions” could be released as a standalone offer. Also, the developer hinted at having “exciting things planned” this weekend to celebrate the Sept. 26 event.


Jensen Huang Urges Taiwan Suppliers to Boost AI Chip Production Amid Surging Demand
SoftBank and Intel Partner to Develop Next-Generation Memory Chips for AI Data Centers
TSMC Eyes 3nm Chip Production in Japan with $17 Billion Kumamoto Investment
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate
Samsung Electronics Shares Jump on HBM4 Mass Production Report
Google Cloud and Liberty Global Forge Strategic AI Partnership to Transform European Telecom Services
Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns
Taiwan Says Moving 40% of Semiconductor Production to the U.S. Is Impossible
SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026
Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate
Nvidia Confirms Major OpenAI Investment Amid AI Funding Race
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised
SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge 



