Spoilers force Sony to give The Last of Us II a summer release date

This article is spoiler-free

As we reported earlier, The Last of Us II was delayed from it’s already once delayed late May release. Thousands of fans were understandably dismayed at this decision, but Naughty Dog said this was so that they could get physical copies of the post-pandemic game out during a time when production was interrupted because of a real-world outbreak.

We want to make sure everyone gets to play The Last of Us Part II around the same time, ensuring that we’re doing everything possible to preserve the best experience for everyone. This meant delaying the game until such a time where we can solve these logistic issues.

Naughty Dag, April 2

Well, judging by the actions of someone who posted a massive amount of spoiler videos yesterday, not everyone was happy about this. The videos (which we will not link to)show many hours of game footage played on a debug unit and reveal many, many key plot points. The videos were taken down by YouTube, presumably after a copyright strike, but not before many mirrored videos had popped up elsewhere.

Now that the story has been ruined for potentially everyone, Sony and Naughty Dog swiftly announced a release date of June 19 for The Last of Us Part II.

As we begin to see an ease in the global distribution environment, I am pleased to confirm that The Last of Us Part II will arrive on June 19.

Hermen Hulst
Head of Worldwide Studios Sony Interactive Entertainment

Interestingly, the announcement came from Sony, not Naughty Dog. You can almost hear their crushed spirit in the tweet they put out shortly after Sony’s announcement of the new release date. Naughty Dog really wanted us to all experience this story together, and a pandemic and a bitter employee presumably ruined that for all of us.

Tim Bledsoe

Podcasts & Single-player games are his thing except on "Adventure Time Tuesdays"