A flurry of PlayStation 4-related rumors have swirled over the past few days as Sony prepares to share more information regarding the release ofHideo Kojima’sDeath Stranding. Caught up in the wake ofDeath Stranding’s reveal appears to be new information about another highly anticipated PS4 exclusive,The Last of Us 2. The sequel to Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed near-future “zombie” game has long been speculated to be a 2019 release. A new rumor insinuates that’s no longer the plan.
Jason Schreier of Kotaku, well known for his reliable rumor mongering, said today thatThe Last of Us 2’s release date had apparently been bumped to 2020. It’d be silly to describe the 2020 release date forThe Last of Us 2as a delay given the game never had an officially announced release date, but Schreier did characterize the shifting date as an alteration from previous internal plans. At one pointThe Last of Us 2was internally planned to release in 2019.
That said, while Sony may have never officially confirmedThe Last of Us 2’s release window as 2019 many PS4 gamers very much thought it to be an unsaid agreement, so the news of a 2020 release date is bound to disappoint some. After all,The Last of Us 2was showcased atSony’s PS4 E3 2018 keynote, making even an early 2020 launch near 20 months after the fact. Given the industry’s shift towards relatively short announcement-to-launch windows,The Last of Us 2stands apart.
PS4 owners still have plenty to look forward to in 2019, of course.Days Gonewas just recently released andDeath Strandingis now expected to have a late-2019 launch. In between will be theMediEvilremake,Shenmue 3with console exclusivity on PS4,Judgementfrom theYakuzadev team, and indie darlingSpelunky 2. And early 2020 isn’t so much further than its expected late-2019 launch in the first place.
Altogether 2019 and 2020 will go down as odd years for the PS4, given its consistency since the platform launched in 2013. Much can be attributed to the speculated release of thePlayStation 5 console in late 2020, with Sony spreading remaining PS4 exclusives out among the platform’s final months. But there seems to be an attitude shift within the company, as well. The decision not to participate in E3 2019 remains confusing to many, in particular. Nevertheless,The Last of Us 2is all-but-certain to remain highly anticipated whether it remains a 2019 launch or has indeed slipped into early 2020.
The Last of Us 2is a PS4 exclusive and has no currently announced official release window.
