The Last Of Us Part II stalls
Next year’s biggest game gets delayed
You will have read our hands-on with Naughty Dog’s epic sequel The Last Of Us Part II last issue and thought, “Yep, can’t wait to play that.” Well you’ll have to, because Naughty Dog has delayed the game until 29 May.
Following the exciting preview event, game director Neil Druckmann said the team felt “invigorated”. But during the weeks that followed something changed.
He explains in a open letter on the PlayStation Blog: “It was during the last few weeks, as we were closing out sections of the game, that we realised we simply didn’t have enough time to bring the entire game up to a level of polish we would call Naughty Dog quality. At this point we were faced with two options: compromise parts of the game or get more time. We went with the latter, and this new release date allows us to finish everything to our level of satisfaction while also reducing stress on the team.”
This isn’t the first time Naughty Dog has delayed the release of a tentpole release. Fans will remember Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End went through a similar drama.
It’s commendable that the developer won’t compromise its vision for The Last Of Us Part II. Though we’re disappointed to not be playing Ellie’s journey in February as planned, we believe in Naughty Dog’s ability to deliver a polished game.
“We wish we could’ve foreseen the amount of polish we needed, but thesizeandscope of this game got the better of us,” Druckmann says (our emphasis). The implication is this will be one of the largest, most impressive games on PS4.
IT’S LAUDABLE THAT THE DEVELOPER WON’T COMPROMISE.
How do you feel about the delay to The Last Of Us Part II? Tweet us @OPM_UK.