Sony's Last of Us 2 Mod Takedown — Full Breakdown & Transcript

[00:00] Boy oh boy, Sony has been on a generational blunder run. From no physical discs to the live service inshutative that has been a catastrophic financial disaster for them. It seems like every day there's something new that has people clowning on Sony or upset at Sony for something that they've done.

[00:18] Or like the most recent conversation around Wolverine, which was supposed to be like, finally, Sony's going to have some kind of success here. This is going to be a home run. Insomniac, Wolverine, how could they possibly drop the ball there? and basically every review is less than stellar.

[00:33] It's been really lackluster reviews. It's not looking overly optimistic, so maybe that's not going to be the over-the-pants handjob that everyone was hoping that it would be, that Sony desperately needed. And now today, they've done something else

[00:45] that has once again ignited some anger at them and is overshadowing the Wolverine conversation. Now, just like Anakin, some people are being blinded by hatred right now and not bothering to look into the very basics

[00:57] for what exactly happened, and those that have pretended to are also just regurgitating false information about it. So, I will say, I'm not happy about what happened here, but there is a little more nuance than

[01:12] people are willing to even talk about. So, we're going to really get into the spaghetti and the meatballs. They took down a highly anticipated mod for Last of Us 2. It was a mod that brought multiplayer to it.

[01:25] The original Last of Us multiplayer is beloved, and it's something people look back on fondly and have had a hankering for more. Last of Us 2 didn't have it. What they were going to do was a standalone Last of Us multiplayer, but that got canned.

[01:40] They took that out behind the barn and put that shit down. So it just kind of left a void, and it was something people were waiting a long time for, hopeful that there'd be more Last of Us multiplayer. That dream was slaughtered, and all hope seemed lost until this mod came into the equation,

[01:55] like the fucking Power Rangers coming through with some great news to save the day. So this was highly anticipated. I actually learned about this on stream like three months ago-ish, maybe a little bit more,

[02:07] when it was pretty early into development. Well, I guess not super early. The footage was some of the first times that he was showcasing playing against someone. and it was very impressive, like legitimately jaw-dropping work going into it.

[02:23] Fast forward to the most recent footage showcasing it, it's wild. Like, this looks like a very solid, pretty polished multiplayer here. The mod, I think, is very impressive.

[02:35] And unfortunately today, the creator of the mod made an unfortunate announcement about the future of it. Hey everyone, as you all know, the Last of Us 2 multiplayer mod that's been in development since January was supposed to release this month.

[02:48] Unfortunately, I recently received a letter on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment requesting for the mod not to be released. Extremely sad that this never got to see the light of day, but I hope you 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 Hope to bring you something bigger and better soon Obviously this has upset a lot of people myself included This

[03:09] was something that I was pretty excited for. It's a very, very impressive mod, like I said. And even though I wasn't like the biggest Last of Us multiplayer enthusiast, it was fun for the little bits that I dabbled in there. Another one in the same vein, by the

[03:22] way, Max Payne 3's multiplayer. No one talks about that anymore, but that one's fucking super slapped, by the way. Anyway, though, like I said, this was a very highly anticipated mod, so a lot of people were outraged that Sony shut it down right when it's at, like, the finish line

[03:36] to be playable for the majority of people here. And the reason I say that is where we get into the nuance, because the creator of this mod has a Patreon, and as reported by a couple of outlets,

[03:49] that's where partial funding for this project came from, and it was something that was mentioned in some of the videos that he made with updates about the mod, of course shouting out the Patreon supporters, which is natural. And it's not super unusual. There's a lot of mod makers

[04:04] that do have a Patreon that is just totally there if you just want to support their work, but the mods are free. And in this case, from what I can tell, this was something that he took on just to do. And it wasn't planned as like a big release or anything, but as

[04:19] it got bigger and better, and more and more people got excited, he allowed, like, his Patreon supporters to get in there and play it with him. So, it technically was paywalled because the early access was for Patreon members.

[04:36] It wasn't released. It wasn't available for free to everyone. So, that is where people are saying this was a paywalled mod and Sony had every right to do so. And, yeah, you fucking dudes. Like, the hall monitors are right.

[04:48] these corporations can do this, and Nintendo, for example, is never shy about taking down Pokemon fan projects and stuff, but it's always just a sour taste in everyone's mouth, because, especially in a case like this, why bother? Sony has no plans of doing anything with Last

[05:03] of Us multiplayer. There's nothing that they've announced in regards to the future of it, so it is just dead and stagnant. There's nothing coming to it. This would just be a boon. I imagine it could also lead to an increase in sales, because people see the multiplayer

[05:15] and maybe get excited and buy Last of Us 2 solely to play the multiplayer. That's not out of the realm of possibility, but they decided to take action against it, and I believe it's probably because of the Patreon would be my guess.

[05:27] I just never understand why they wait until the finish line, why they wait until, like, days before it's released. They do this all the time, not just Sony, but tons of these corporations. These projects get a lot of hype, gather a lot of steam, a lot of interest,

[05:39] a lot of players get excited, the mods develop for months, sometimes even years, and then right when it's ready to come out, then they get hit with the cease and desist. Then they tell them, nope, you can't do that. Why wait that entire time? There's no way these companies don't know about it, and it doesn't take that long to draft these documents.

[05:53] There's no fucking way that that's not malicious on purpose, that being their intent. So it wastes maximum time and causes maximum damage It a huge fuck you If this is something that Stoney had a huge issue with they could have stopped this many months ago before he poured almost a whole year of his life into developing this

[06:11] Like, I hate that. I really do hate that. Like, yes, they are within their rights to do so, but they could have done it earlier if it really bothered them that much. And I am very curious if they would have taken any action if it was fully free from the start.

[06:24] From what I understand, this was a planned free mod for the Last of Us 2 multiplayer. But what was paywalled is the early access, so the people playing with him. So it's kind of a paid mod, but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable calling it a paid mod

[06:39] because it's not even out. It never released. The people that are playing it with him, to me, are no different than just having your playtesters there, but they happen to be people that have supported his channel through Patreon. And maybe some of them did it solely for the early access,

[06:52] but even still then, it is a multiplayer mod. You do need to play against people for a multiplayer mod, so it's a very reasonable thought process to just be like, oh, well these people have supported me on Patreon, I'll let them

[07:04] hop in with me so we can play there and test and I can develop it out further like, I don't view it as like a really scummy, money-making paywalled mod there have been some really awful modders

[07:16] that paywalled mods that have been just fucking douchebags about it, this one just feels so different in that regard where it is a multiplayer mod, you do need people to play against when making this that's just like an easy one to tap into

[07:29] that's already there, already showing you support they're going to be valuable in giving you feedback and all of that and if it's a plan free mod, which from what I understand this was supposed to be a free mod then I just don't view it as

[07:41] a super big issue obviously Sony disagreed but it was going to be a free mod from what I can tell it's just through development and through testing the people that were there

[07:53] testing it with them were Patreon subscribers. And then my head goes to, if that is the case, why doesn't Sony just say make it free and let it ride? Because again, I think this can

[08:05] only be a net positive for Last of Us 2 having this multiplayer release. Because renewed interest, more potential sales, there's only upside. It's not like they lose anything because Sony isn't working on any Last of Us 2

[08:17] multiplayer. At least nothing that the public knows about. So, they're just literally saying this is ours to sit around and do nothing with. Fuck you. What's the point? If the issue is the Patreon and having like

[08:29] their pinged early access component we'll just relay that information to the creator and make it free. Like fully free. Like the early access the whole thing. The whole kit and caboodle. That way it can still be played and that way it doesn't

[08:41] all go to waste and people get the multiplayer. Which again I think Sony would benefit from. It's not like it's garbage or anything that would damage the brand. It is pretty high quality. Like, I'll just show you the most recent footage that he released showing its development.

[08:54] It's been a while since the last episode, and a lot has happened. We gone from a buggy 1v1 test to something that actually feels like a real multiplayer mode Let me show you what new First up a completely custom main menu built from scratch We now got public matchmaking which means no network setup at all You install the mod

[09:14] boot the game, and you're matched against anyone else playing, just like any other game. There's also a loadout system. You can pick a primary, a secondary, and a purchasable weapon, and up to three skills. A lot of the skills from factions have made it in, and

[09:27] and I've added a few new ones on top of that. This is still very much a work in progress. We have five maps at the moment.

[09:40] Schools, surf right camp, resorts, gas stations and houses. We'll be adding a lot more soon. Leaderboards have been added too, although they're pretty basic right now. I told you, it is a very solid looking game.

[09:54] Of course, it's still got some bugs there and you see it in the footage, It's like there's some things that, like, fail to render, and there's a little bit of junkiness there. But, again, this is still just, like, in progress. So more polish and more time would have absolutely ironed all that out.

[10:08] But just look at how strong that is already. So much work went into it. So much care. So much talent on display here. It's just such a shame to see it all go to waste and lead to nothing. Nothing that's playable for the public, that is.

[10:22] Like, again, yes, they can do this. but if the issue was the Patreon and having the paid early access, just relay that, say, make it free and we're all good.

[10:34] And the worry is like, well, what if this guy turns out to be some kind of fucking maniac or something like that, like he's very bad for your brand or something? I don't think many people are going to conflate allowing this multiplayer mod to exist with you hyping him up like the employee of the month,

[10:48] or giving him your official seal of approval as a Sony ambassador. It's just simply letting the community create this very wild mod here to enjoy and play in a game that they love that you've made.

[11:03] And I don't think many people would think too much deeper beyond that if he does turn out to be like a bad guy or something, if that's the concern. It's just, I see so many reasons to not take it down, and very few to do so.

[11:16] Again, the Patreon angle is the only one I think is what triggered this, because making money through it and having early access there, yeah, that gets into some really gray area when it comes to mods. Paid mods have always been like a hot debate in the community.

[11:31] It's just this one I feel is so unique in that respect because it's not a mod that's released. It's not a paid mod, technically, because it's not out. It's people that are basically playtesting it with the creator that happen to be his Patreon supporters.

[11:44] Some of them were probably there before this multiplayer mod. Some of them probably there solely for it, yes, But even still, if the intention was to make it a fully free mod once it was ready, which it was almost ready, then honestly, I don't have a huge issue with it.

[11:58] Overall, it just sucks to see that it's shut down now, because it was looking really fun. So, anyway, just wanted to yap about it a little bit. That's it. See ya.