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The Last of Us Part II’s launch has been delayed to May 29, 2020, only one month after Sony and Naughty Dog revealed that the game would be arriving in February 2020 (via Siliconera).
Sources spoke to Kotaku to inform them of The Last of Us Part II’s delay, and only a day before, industry analyst Daniel Ahmad claimed there would be ‘unexpected news about a Sony first party title’ on the horizon. Sony had not commented when Kotaku reached out to confirm the two sources’ stories, and it seemed strange that a delay would be announced so soon after the State of Play showcase.
However, Naughty Dog director Neil Druckmann published a post on the official PlayStation Blog to confirm that the game will instead release on May 29, 2020. He expressed his gratitude for the ‘overwhelming’ response from fans after showing off the new story trailer, announcing the release date, and revealing new and unique features in the sequel. But, the team realised that Naughty Dog and Sony required extra time to ensure that the game would match up to their standards.
Druckmann apologised for the delay on behalf of Naughty Dog. ‘While we’re relieved that we won’t have to compromise our vision, we’re disappointed that we weren’t able to avoid this exact situation. We wish we could’ve foreseen the amount of polish we needed, but the size and scope of this game got the better of us,’ he explained. ‘We hope you understand that this additional time ensures that The Last of Us Part II lives up to our collective ambition as well as our commitment to the highest level of quality.’
Anonymous Naughty Dog employees have shared their stories on the culture of crunch at the studio, and how their dedication to deliver stellar video games permeates the work practices there. With The Last of Us Part II, the developer has made the rational choice to delay the game so that the employees are under lessened pressure and the game and their staff do not suffer as a result.
The Last of Us Part II will launch for PlayStation 4 on May 29, 2020.
