Originally set for a May 29 release, Naughty Dog recently announced that The Last of Us Part II’s release date has been delayed indefinitely. Unlike the previous delay though, the postponement of the game’s released date this time is due to logistics issues.
Naughty Dog’s official announcement reads:
“As you’ve likely just seen, the release of The last of Us Part II has been delayed. We’re sure this news is just as disappointing to you as it is to us. We wanted to reach out to all of you in our community to give you a little more information.
“The good news is, we’re nearly done with development of The Last of Us Part II. We are in the midst of fixing our final bugs.
“However, even with us finishing the game, we were faced with the reality that due to logistics beyond our control, we couldn’t launch The Last of Us Part II to our satisfaction. 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.
“We were bummed about this decision but ultimately understood what’s best and fair to all of our players. We’re hoping that this won’t be a long delay, and we’ll update you as soon as we have new information to share.
“We wish you all, your families, and your friends the best of health. Thank you for being amazing fans and your continued support.
Stay safe!”
A message from us about the delay of The Last of Us Part II: pic.twitter.com/aGsSRfmJ8a
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) April 2, 2020
While Naughty Dog hasn’t delved into specifics of the logistics issues, it is likely that they are referring to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which is currently causing delays in global shipping. Given that physical copies of upcoming game releases such as the FF7 Remake might see shipment delays (or early shipments in some regions), Naughty Dog’s decision is in large part to avoid this issue as they want everyone to experience the game at around the same time. While this isn’t great news for gamers who have long waited for the game, considering the current circumstances, the delay is definitely understandable.
This isn’t the first delay for The Last of Us Part II. Initially, the game was set to release in February 21 of this year, but its launch was moved to May 29 to give the developers more time to work on the game. Now, there’s no word yet on when the game will be released.