Bruce Straley, co-director of the The Last of Us, is promising fans that the studio's multiplayer plans are “extremely ambitious”.

Naughty Dog confirmed last week that its upcoming sequel would not include the series' celebrated Factions multiplayer mode, later clarifying that it's now being developed as a separate spin-off beyond The Last of Us 2’s release date of February 21, 2020.

While a tinge of disappointment may have underscored some of The Last of Us 2 news to come out of last week's Outbreak Day event because of the announcement, the delay would be for "good reasons", according to Bruce Straley. The veteran Naughty Dog alumni (who left the studio in 2018 and is largely responsible for creating the story and world of The Last of Us alongside the sequel's lead director Neil Druckmann) weighed in on the news on Twitter .

I know the team very well & trust them thoroughly! I also know what they’re working on & I can attest that SP & MP are both EXTREMELY ambitious. I can only joke because I’m friends w these people & I have absolute faith in what they’re doing.September 27, 2019

Lastly, I really appreciate the passion MP fans have for the mode. We worked super hard to make it something special & as much as my tweet may have stung, I wanna say thanks for digging the game so much! ❤️ I too had the most epic MP matches playing #Factions - so I get it.September 27, 2019

"I guarantee you‘re gonna be stoked to get your hands on both modes", Straley continued, "But ya gotta let them do their thing. Have faith. You’re in good hands! [...] Your time will come!"

Straley's comments will come as reassuring news to the hordes of Last of Us fans still playing Factions multiplayer to this day, as a slightly longer wait for a much more ambitious iteration of the hard-as-nails PvP mode is a bargain that most will be willing to take, especially as The Last of Us 2's campaign is apparently the biggest Naughty Dog game to date.

Better yet, our recent Last of Us 2 hands-on preview suggests this sequel has all the makings of a modern masterpiece, and while we won't be able to play with other people for a while, Naughty Dog has promises its AI allies in single-player are the next best thing.

For more, check out all the big new games of 2019 still to come, or watch the video below for another look at The Last of Us 2 from Naughty Dog.