One of the most anticipated games of 2020 has been delayed yet again. PlayStation Exclusive, The Last of Us Part 2 has been delayed indefinitely. The game was set to launch on May 29. This isn't the first time the game has been delayed. The original release date of the game was February 21 but the game was delayed to May 29th as the developers wanted to give players a polished experience. This time, however, the game isn't delayed due to technical reasons or because it needs more bug fixing. It is delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The PlayStation official twitter handle has tweeted, “Update: SIE has made the difficult decision to delay the launch of The Last of Us Part II and Marvel's Iron Man VR until further notice. Logistically, the global crisis is preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve.” Reading into the second half of the statement we can presume that it will be difficult to get physical copies of the game to customers in certain parts of the world where retail shops and home delivery services are facing issues. India is currently facing a lockdown so if you want a physical copy of a game, it is impossible for you to get it. This leaves digital distribution as the only option and the lack of good internet connectivity in some parts means that players may not be able to download the game digitally as well. Sony wants to give all the players an equal experience of the game and is looking at the best solution for this and it looks like delaying the game is the only option. To put things into perspective, Square Enix has announced that copies of Final Fantasy VII Remake will arrive early in certain parts of the world to meet the demand and combat COVID 19’s disruption of the distribution channels.
Naughty Dog, the developer behind the Last of Us Part 2 and the successful Uncharted franchise also released a statement. It 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 the 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.” the statement adds.
“We were bummed about this decision but ultimately understood it’s 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.” the statement concludes.
Calling the Last of Us Part 2 one of the most anticipated games of the year would be an understatement. Players have been waiting with bated breath to get their hands on the game to find out where Ellie and Joel go next. From the gameplay that has been revealed, it looks like the core mechanics of the game have improved along with better enemy AI and new crafting mechanics. The first game, The Last of Us launched on the PS3 and we also got a remastered version of the game for the PS4. You can read our review of the first game here.
If you are looking to enjoy a nice horror game, you can check out our review of Resident Evil 3 here. You can also check out the list of games confirmed to release in April here in case you are looking for a new game to invest in.