Go ahead and add another casualty to the list. The video game industry has been hit on various fronts from the COVID-19 pandemic, but few games have fallen back. In all honesty, a lot of the delays already came earlier on in the year, and given that digital sales are so prominent, it makes sense, most releases would stand. For example, Final Fantasy VII Remake is sticking to its April 10 release date — with some territories even selling them early. It’s because of this that the announcement regarding The Last of Us Part II is a bit shocking.

The game from Naughty Dog was originally set to hit store shelves on May 29. However, Sony Interactive Entertainment released a brand-new statement, saying that they made the decision to delay it and Iron Man VR until further notice. 

“Logistically, the global crisis is preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve,” the official Twitter account wrote.

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.

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 2, 2020

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The official Naughty Dog account echoed this sentiment from Sony. 

“The good news is, we’re nearly done with development of The Last of Us Part II,” the statement read. “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.”

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 this is indeed sad news for many — The Last of Us Part II is easily one of this year’s most anticipated games — I’d argue this is a good thing.

Pandemic Times

Let’s be real, in the current age of pandemic, a lot of us are in need of an escape. There’s a reason why so many of us have decided to escape into games like Animal Crossing. Times are scary and unpredictable, so we are finding ourselves looking to distance ourselves from anything remotely uncomfortable.

Given the setting of The Last of Us Part II, I don’t think it’s a stretch to think May may not be the best time to release the game. Don’t get me wrong, I think there are plenty of hardcore gamers who’d be up for the challenge. But when you have a game as expensive as The Last of Us Part II, you are relying on more than just the core gamers. You need the general public to be on board too. Given we don’t know what the current state of things will be in late May, it could have been released onto a crowd that has no desire to relive a horrific world in game form.

It’s Crunch Time!

The video game industry has a well-documented crunch issue. Because of all the complex nature of making a game, even the most well-organized game needs some real crunch time. The result are studios with employees that work around the clock, sacrificing their health and social lives in the process.

“This game is really good, but at a huge cost to the people,” one Naughty Dog employee told Kotaku. 

This cost is ubiquitous in the industry and it even extends to those tail-end tasks. Though The Last of Us Part II is virtually done, the dev still has a lot of work to do. According to Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, going remote during the pandemic hasn’t stopped the QA team from crunching. 

While the majority of the work has been done on the game, it doesn’t hurt that the few still working on it may actually have some free time. In fact, they might even be able to do crazy things like go on walks, work out, and make their own meals. 

– TLOUII was on track for May, multiple devs say. The primary reason for the delay is the challenge of printing, shipping, and selling physical games right now
– Going remote has not stopped those still working on the game (such as QA) from crunching. Hopefully this delay helps

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 2, 2020

Conclusion

Yes, it’s a bummer for many that this game is getting delayed. However, I think the benefits do outweigh the cost. On one hand, you have a studio that will be able to properly promote and print copies of their game. This time allows them to actually get the job done right and get the word out on the game properly. It also allows some time to pass between the pandemic in the release. This could result in the game launching in a less scarred world, resulting in higher sales.

Finally, there’s the benefit of less overworked employees, who are struggling to work remotely as they wrap up all these loose ends. 

No, none of this will make the game appear sooner, but I think it will result in a more conducive audience and healthier work conditions for those still working. 

Are you sad to see The Last of Us Part II getting delayed? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Jason Schreier, SIE, Naughty Dog, Kotaku