The Last of Us Part II has been given a new release date, which seems to be an effort by publisher Sony and developer Naughty Dog to smartly attempt to distract from all of the spoilers regarding the game that have leaked online. The Last of Us Part II was delayed for the second time at the start of April, due to real-life issues caused by COVID-19.
Sony initially didn't give a revised release date for The Last of Us Part II, which led some fans to speculate that it could be pushed to the end of the year or possibly 2021, coinciding with the launch of the PlayStation 5. Developer Naughty Dog assured fans that the company was working with Sony to ensure that The Last of Us Part II would be released as soon as possible, but no one provided a potential new release window until today. There were also concerns regarding fellow Sony exclusive Ghost of Tsushima, which was set to be released a few weeks after The Last Of Us Part II on PlayStation 4.
Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment were forced to show their hand today due to spoilers for The Last of Us Part II leaking online, revealing most of the game's story. Not long after the spoilers made their rounds, followed by takedown notices from Sony's legal team (which even saw Reddit taking down leaks), the publisher announced on the official PlayStation Blog that The Last of Us Part II has a new release date, as does Ghost of Tsushima. The Last of Us Part II will be released for PlayStation 4 on June 19, while Ghost of Tsushima will be released on July 17.
The snap announcement for The Last of Us Part II's revised release date is too coincidental to not also be a basic PR play to shift attention and the online discussion away from spoilers and reactions to them, giving the developers and fans something more positive to talk about and share.
This is especially important since the leaks were met with a mixed reception by some fans. Sony seems to be trying to sway attention away from the spoilers by revealing that The Last of Us Part II is coming out soon, as people will be less inclined to seek them out so close to release. Also, if fans suspected that The Last of Us Part II wasn't coming out until Christmas 2020 or 2021, then they might be more inclined to read the spoilers as the hype dies out. The (hopefully final) release date announcement for The Last of Us 2 brings back the buzz the right way at the right time.
The 2020 video game release schedule was thrown into chaos by COVID-19 and the PlayStation 4's last major exclusive titles have been affected by real-world issues. The Last of Us Part II is one of the most highly anticipated games of the year - and this console generation - and it was meant to be one of the last great games of the PlayStation 4 era. It's a shame that the game's contents were leaked online before fans could experience them in the proper context, and even a rushed release date announcement can't stem the discussion that has started up about the content of a game that isn't even out yet. Avoid the spoilers.
The Last of Us Part II will releases exclusively for PlayStation 4 on June 19, 2020.