How One Viral Post Launched Terminal War, the Indie Spiritual Successor to Cancelled The Last of Us Factions 2

From just a couple hundred followers to thousands thanks to a single post, Terminal War caught the attention of fans who connected deeply with The Last of Us Factions - a multiplayer mode set in the brutal world of The Last of Us. At the time, Factions stood out among multiplayer games for being unique, rather than just another fast‑paced, run‑and‑gun experience.

This 4v4, survival‑focused PvP mode pitted two teams of four against each other, with one side playing as the Fireflies and the other as the Hunters. Naughty Dog was initially set to create a sequel to the Factions multiplayer mode. However, the project grew beyond what the team was willing to commit resources to, and the mode was ultimately cancelled - leaving many fans crushed by the news.

What fans didn’t know was that Albatross Interactive had been quietly working on their own version of what Factions could have been. In a post on X, the team shared a brief slice of gameplay - a brutal kill animation that reignited fan interest in the world of Factions.

Speaking with Alec Favale during our Theory Unlocked podcast, Alec explained that while editing the post, he thought “no one was going to care about this.” At the time, they had only around 200 followers and felt they didn’t have much of an audience to show the game to. He posted the clip with minimal text, simply hoping that something might happen.

What Alec didn’t realize was the spark that post would ignite.

“They cancelled The Last of Us Factions 2.
So we’re building our version. We’re indie and entirely self‑funded.
4v4. Limited ammo. Brutal executions.
This is Terminal War. Unofficial gameplay teaser.”

The post now sits well above 500,000 views.

“The next morning, I woke up and couldn’t comprehend the numbers,” Alec said. “It was only meant to reach the 200 people who followed us at the time. It was the most validating moment in this entire journey.”

That moment became the “wake‑up call,” as Alec described it - proof that what he and his team were building wasn’t just something they wanted to play themselves, but something a large community of Factions fans still wanted as well.

One post was all it took.

Let us know what you think of Terminal War in the comments.

 You can Wishlist Terminal War on Steam.