Game development company Naughty Dog is in the process of creating multiplayer game modes for their most recent release “The Last of Us Part II.”

According to the original release date timeline in a 2018 interview at E3, Anthony Newman, the co-director of Naughty Dog, confirmed the return of “Factions.” This game mode will be returning from the original game, “The Last of Us” (2013).

“Factions” allowed players to choose sides between the Hunters or the Fireflies. These in-game groups go head to head in synchronous matches that progress the story one day at a time. Depending on how many supplies are collected and objectives are completed, players can see their groups either rise in population or fall at the hands of the enemy.

“The Last of Us” and “The Last of Us Part II” follow main characters Joel and Ellie as they fight their way through a zombie apocalypse. A fictional parasitic fungus has wiped out 60 percent of the population while the remaining survivors have to fight to survive.

“‘Factions is coming back,” Newman said in an interview with GameSpot.

Co-director Kurt Margenau continued, “Multiplayer is coming back. We’re not going to talk details yet about what form that takes, but we can confirm there will be multiplayer.”

Based on the original predicted timeline, multiplayer was anticipated to be released in August, but no further updates have been made.

Another original prediction was that multiplayer would be included in the game itself, but once “The Last of Us Part II” was released in June of this year without multiplayer, new predictions were formed.

Based on Naughty Dogs’ previous games in the “Uncharted” series, multiplayer options will most likely be a stand-alone title. Players assumed free-to-play multiplayer for “Uncharted 3” would be released as a digital download update, however, it was eventually packaged together with the release of “Uncharted 4” instead.

With no new “The Last of Us” game on the horizon for many years, a stand-alone multiplayer game is most likely players’ best hope.