No more delays for 'The Last of Us Part' assures Naughty Dog as game goes gold

After a series of delays which saw "The Last of Us Part II" move from its original Feb. 21 to May 29, fans were dealt another blow as the developers revealed it was pushed back indefinitely. This led many to speculate that Sony intentionally did it to turn it into a launch title for the PS5. However, the actual reason behind everything was purportedly productivity issues brought about by COVID-19. Now, a message from the game studio confirms that the highly anticipated sequel has gone gold.

This arrives shortly after an article on the PlayStation Blog surprised the gaming industry with two release date announcements. It was about another PS4 exclusive from Sucker Punch Productions called "Ghost of Tsushima" which is now slated for Friday, July 17. Meanwhile, the post-apocalyptic survival horror sequel was rescheduled for Friday, June 19.

In addition to the splendid news that "The Last of Us Part II" has finally locked a release date, game director Neil Druckmann assured gamers that there will be no more delays. According to GameSpot, he shared a video to inform fans of the award-winning franchise that development has been completed. Now that the gold master has been submitted for production, this allocates enough time for physical game discs to be printed and digital copies to be uploaded.

Earlier this week, the game was in the headlines, when major plot points were leaked. Several unreleased footages were shared online, which led many to suspect it was an inside job from a displeased employee. Nonetheless, investigations into the matter allegedly confirmed the one responsible is not connected in any way with the developer or publisher.

A statement released by Sony read: "We are unable to comment further because the information is subject to an on-going investigation. We're looking forward to when 'The Last of Us Part II' will be in your hands and can't wait for you to enjoy the full experience on June 19." Those planning to pick up a physical or digital copy should be aware that the total file size clocks in at close to 100 GB. Similar to other AAA releases, gamers will likely be able to pre-load the digital version days ahead of launch.