The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima have new release dates! Read on to find out more!

It’s been a rocky couple of months across the board. While not all games have been affected, there have been a few big ones to suffer thanks to the pandemic. One such game is The Last of Us 2. In addition to all the other trouble, Naughty Dog is facing as a developer, the pandemic seemed to exacerbate their issues. Not only did they delay the game indefinitely so they could optimize the launch, but a recent disgruntled employee leaked footage of the game online.

Naughty Dog has since responded to the footage leak. They took to Twitter to say, “We know the last few days have been incredibly difficult for you. We feel the same. It’s disappointing to see the release and sharing or pre-release footage from development. Do your best to avoid spoilers and we ask that you don’t spoil it for others. The Last of Us Part 2 will be in your hands soon. No matter what you see and hear, the final experience will be worth it.”

RELATED – Last Of Us 2 Gameplay Reportedly Leaked By Employee, Launching A Whole Mess Of Controversy

On the heels of the controversy, I saw plenty of posts out there pushing for the devs to release the game early. After all, the cat’s out of the bag already. They may as well throw it all out there ASAP, right? 

The Last of Us Part 2 Has A Date!

Well, Naughty Dog didn’t quite listen. They didn’t release the game immediately. They didn’t acknowledge any of the negative feedback from gamers. Instead, they merely released a new release date. Or rather, Sony did. 

The announcement came via the PlayStation blog, where Sony Interactive Entertainment’s head of Worldwide Studios Hermen Hult congratulated Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch Productions.

“As we know it’s not an easy feat to reach the finish line under these circumstances.Both teams have worked hard to deliver world-class experiences, and we can’t wait to see what you think of them when they release in just a few short months.”

The Last of Us 2 was originally slated for a May 29 release date. Many, including me, anticipated a pretty lengthy delay. Not only did they need more time to ensure the strategy of the release, but they likely wanted to shake of the shackles of the pandemic. Given the nature of the story, it’d be something not many people would likely want to play, right?

Well, cast those doubts to the wind, because we have a new release date! Sony has announced that the game will launch on June 19! So that indefinite delay ultimately resulted in a few short week delay, which isn’t bad. But many of you may notice that would put The Last of Us 2 right up against another AAA title. 

Ghost Of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima, the Japan-set third-person action game. Gamers have had their eyes on this gem for a while, and it was set for June 26, 2020. In light of The Last of Us 2 getting pushed to June 19, Ghost of Tsushima has been shifted to July 17.

This is likely a good move from Sony. It gives gamers a few weeks to get through one big game before hopping into the next. It’s a sound strategy in the grand scheme of things, but I still don’t know if it was the right move for The Last of Us 2.

The Last Of Us 2 Doomed?

They were put in a no-win situation. On one hand, you have gamers who are upset by what they saw in the footage leak. They had high expectations, and many have been gutted by it. On the other hand, you have all the drama surrounding their crunch culture, which has a real human cost. 

Releasing the game as soon as possible may help partially mitigate things. It gives gamers less time to accidentally get spoiled. That being said, it’s still a couple of months away. Is it worth rushing out the game when there’s still that much time?

Finally, there’s the pandemic. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world, and I can’t help but wonder if they will take a hit. While the pandemic may have leveled out by June, will it still be a bitter memory gamers won’t want to visit?

No doubt about it, Naughty Dog is between a rock and a hard place on this one. There is no right answer here. When all said and done, they are doing the best they can in this situation. One can only hope that this whole thing turns out well for everyone. That the game is great and that it sells well.

Are you excited by The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima was pushed to make room for it? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: PlayStation Blog