Following days of rumors, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann has confirmed today that The Last of Us Part II has been delayed. Originally announced for February 21, 2020 at a press event earlier this month, the new release date has been pushed back three months to May 29, 2020. In an apologetic blog post on PlayStation.com Druckmann cited needing more time to bring the game "to a level of polish we would call Naughty Dog quality."
Druckmann said in the weeks since the release date reveal, the team realized they could either compromise parts of the game or get more time to fix them. Like many studios, they chose the latter. The three-month extension does not appear to be related to multiplayer modes, meaning the game will still launch as a single-player-only title. Following initial fan feedback citing a desire for the return of the original game's Factions PVP mode, Naughty Dog has promised the series will once again have multiplayer in some form, but not with the launch of The Last of Us Part II.
The Last of Us Part II is the sequel to Naughty Dog's 2013 critically-acclaimed post-apocalyptic game about two strangers, the sunshine-less Joel and defiant Ellie, on a transnational trek across the US amid a fungal plague that has ravaged most of the country. The Last of Us won over 200 Game of the Year awards as the last major Sony first-party title of the PS3 era. It went on to be remastered for PS4 and has remained a favorite for its gripping plot, memorable characters, and stealth-action gameplay that feels quite distant from the over-the-top heroics of Naughty Dog's other recent series, Uncharted.
The new date for The Last of Us Part II means it will be among the last of the PS4 first-party titles, though Sony has yet to reveal a date for Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima. They've recently referred to it as a PS4 title, meaning we can expect it will at least come to Sony's current console before the PS5 launches in the holiday 2020 season.
