The Last of Us multiplayer concept art seems to all-but confirm a Firefly fan theory

The Last of Us multiplayer game might explore a fan theory that suggests there’s a group of Fireflies based in San Francisco. 

As shared by Den of Geek, it’s possible that the upcoming The Last of Us multiplayer game is set in San Francisco, and for a good reason. In case you missed it, yesterday during Summer Game Fest 2022, Naughty Dog co-president and The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann took to the stage to discuss The Last of Us Part 1 as well as a few other projects the team has been working on. 

One of these bonus projects is a The Last of Us standalone multiplayer game. During the showcase, Naughty Dog revealed a piece of concept art that sees two new characters attempting to survive in what’s theorized to be San Francisco due to the Golden Gate Bridge and other landmarks in the background. 

As explained in the Den of Geek article, there’s a long-standing fan theory that suggests that at one point in time there was a quarantine zone based in San Francisco, one which had a large Firefly presence in it. 

Savvy The Last of Us players will already know that there’s a reference to the Californian city hidden in the 'Snipers' nest log' artifact which can be found in 'The University' chapter of the first game. Located towards the bottom of the scruffy piece of paper, a note can be found which reads: "12/20 1 Scientist Biologist from San Francisco." Which indicates that there was some kind of operation happening in the city at one point. 

Of course, this could just be a coincidence but what the original article suggests is that there used to be Fireflies in the city before some kind of yet-to-be-revealed event, which results in many of the people at the QZ moving to other bases. This could be a sign that the multiplayer game could take place during a "late in the game" version of San Francisco where Fireflies and other survivors could clash with rival groups and the infected. 

We already know that Fireflies are starting to return to California after Abby and Lev attempt to reach Santa Barbara, and later Catalina Island, due to rumors of Firefly activity in the area - so it’s not too big of a stretch to assume the events could be connected. Especially since The Last of Us multiplayer was originally supposed to be a The Last of Us 2 add-on. 

Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long to find out more about The Last of Us multiplayer game is all about. Until then, find out what was shared about the upcoming The Last of Us TV show during last night’s showcase.