The Last of Us: Part II has been delayed due to logistical reasons, leaving some fans frustrated about the postponement. The issue is that coronavirus has plunged the world into uncertainty, and seemingly trivial tasks such as manufacturing, marketing, and distribution have now become immensely complicated. As a result, it’s forced Naughty Dog to sit on the game.
“We know we have a great game, but we just have to wait a little longer to get it out to fans,” said director Neil Druckmann on the latest PlayStation Blogcast podcast. “I know fans are disappointed, but we’re just as disappointed if not more so.”
According to Druckmann, the game is effectively finished. “We’re at the one-yard line,” he continued. “There are still some bugs that we’re finding, and we want to polish it as much as we can. The game is there, that’s the frustrating part. We just have to sit on it for a little bit and figure out the best way to get it to our fans.”
Asked whether a digital-only release is feasible, the director explained that this may not be fair on all fans around the globe. “This is a worldwide game that every country is waiting for and we want to make sure we’re fair. If we only get it to a small fraction of people, what does that mean for people who don’t get it? We’re looking at all sorts of options and considering what’s the best way to get it to all our fans as soon as possible. But that’s going to take time.”
Druckmann continued that releasing some kind of demo may put unnecessary strain on its employees, as these kinds of things need to be built from the ground up in order to ensure they operate as intended in non-controlled environments. “It’s a massive amount of work that we don’t want to put our team through, and we’d rather put our focus on finishing the game,” he said.
There has been some criticism of Naughty Dog’s infamous crunch culture, but Druckmann paints a very different picture. “There’s a lot going on in the world right now, so [we told staff to] take time to take care of yourself and your family. We even said: if we miss our date, we miss our date – you come first. And even now as we’re wrapping up the game, we keep telling people: if you need a moment, if you need to take a day or two off, do whatever you’ve got to do.”
[source blog.us.playstation.com]
Comments 42
I think they are going to wait until they have everything in place and ready to go and then hit us with a sudden 'out next week' scenario. Let them do what they have to do, we will all get this great game eventually.
The delay bugs me aswell for sure but i hate the fact that so many people are either to dense or to ignorant that they use this delay to spout all sorts of lies about ND,Sony and the game. Mostly because it's a PS exclusive.
I swear if syberpunk gets delayed no one Will say bad things about it. Because it's multiplat.
You guys may not remember but we’ve seen games go gold and head to manufacturing 3 months before their release date. So, I’d say, the game is done, has already been sent to manufacturing, but due to Covid the process is now hindered and the polishing they are doing is actually what will be a day 1 patch.
I'm personally very pissed but my individual feelings are not what's at stake right now. As much as I hate this delay and am disappointed, I understand that the world is going through dark times now.
Number one thing is that everybody stays safe and we all get through this sh*t, so we can celebrate it with some great games.
Better wait another months and get perfect package
Take your time playas.you naughtydogs.game is going to be legendary.word up son
It's a bit disappointing but I can wait, I have a lot of free time in home now because of coronavirus quarantine in my city so I can wait while playing my backlog. And there's final fantasy 7 remaster and persona 5 royal, can't wait to play and finish both games
Starting to plan on playing all these games on the PS5
Any game releasing later than September I've decided can now wait till the PS5 comes out. I've waited this long, another 3 months will make no difference and I'll get a better experience. I'll just go into spoiler isolation instead.
@stuzster yet other games get released with no issue. Think you are being lied too.
Why not release it digitally? Eh, not my problem. The interactive movies aren’t my thing anyway. Never understood the hype behind the first one and I doubt I’ll get the hype behind the second one.
@stuzster Who's losing their minds? Nobody seems to actually be making a fuss about this. People are being understanding with current world events. Nice virtue signal though, kiddo
I mean they are a company and ultimately their end goal is to make money, so I dont quite get why this upsets some people.
Just release it now. They owe it to us!!
@stuzster I think you're lying, aren't you? I've seen no one lose their mind, only you tbh.
Utterly pathetic.
Yeah whatever ND, they’re just trying to maximize their profits. They’re worried more about physical sales.
The delay sucks but I understand. Obviously they don’t want to release the game because it will affect sales, but they also care about their game and the fans. Take all the time you need; the delay can always be used to do further polishing. I already know the game will be a masterpiece so I’m not too worried.
Easy fix just released digitally and send everyone a code in the email that used to preorder the physical copy and when the world and shipping returns to normal they can then send out physical copies is it they're seriously going to wait until shipping goes back to normal we could be waiting another year or two and that's also not fair to fans that pre-ordered it like 6 months ago digitally
Bet you the delay is for pc release..stupid Sony.
The logistical reasons are clearly the reason why it’s an indefinite delay. But if it’s not gone gold at this point it was probably due a short delay or a day one patch anyway.
Don’t get all the negative comments. No one wants to lose money and they need to release it globally in the way they do for every major release.
I'm not too fussed but if Cyberpunk 2077 gets delayed again I'm rioting.
Well after 6 years in development I can understand. There is no room for error on such a big investment. With shops shut, countries in lockdown, It could be tricky to find a window to release this.
It has to be released this year. No need to panic.
Psa for dense morons: online only digital releases aren't feasible for a multitude of reasons relating to inacessability to wifi either through data caps, no infrastructure in place to support the needs, or the simple fact that digital games are overpriced as it is and not everyone can afford decent wifi. It's also not fair to favour those simply because it's more convenient for you. That's selfish.
Secondly, how could you possibly get pissy about a delay when they're A) crunching numbers to polish bugs and B) putting the health and wellbeing of employees first? Sorry this dev team has a soul, but you also cannot knock literlly any of their work that is undeniably polished, that, and also insomniac, too
Lastly, I guarantee people are getting pissy purely because it's an exclusive title and nobody would say **** if cyber punk 2077 was delayed. It's always interesting how people have inane man-child tantrums over arbitrary things when it comes to first party AAA titles, just like GOW, that won a game of the year, then suddenly all the autistic meltdowns suddenly stopped after it was an undeniable success, looking like more than a few folks were eating their words. Funny how people lost their sh*t over a puddle in SpiderMan too, trying to use that to measure the quality of the whole game, despite the fact it was actually better and as simple as being a less wet and sunnier day.
If there's anything to learn it's that the customer isn't always right and that gaming is full of autistic man-children sooks. Also never, never, ever pay attention to gaming "jurnalism" on forums, as 9 times out of ten there's a sabotage agenda with only a few relitive impartial sources you can trust. Form your own opinions, play the game and see if that alines with what they're saying, otherwise it's confirmational bias and bullsh*t.
@potter32
Whoooooosh goes that ******* point. Not everyone has access to wifi, dickcheese. Believe it or not. While I agree physically purchases should be used as digital keys to access games without a disk, your "plan" still disadvantages the majority of gamers. Get over it, have some patience and be reasonable. You can excuse thing being slow when they put people first and are the few dev teams out there that actually have a soul.
@Grimwood
Capcom, basically. But then again, their Resident Evil fanbase consist of autistic sooks and/ or man-children who complain, or otherwise can't let go of fixed cam or poor controls along with their Jill Valentine Body pillows-- weebs, basically... Or cancer, basically.
They should just release it the game is basically done and would still make a fortune in may as people want games atm to keep them entertained through the lockdown. Plus you can still get physical even with shops closed just pre order on amazon. I understand ND and Sony want to make the most money they can but fans have been waiting for years and who knows when sony will feel it's the right time to release it. Could be another month or 3 months or longer which is frustrating
@Akurusu
Maybe because that contentious and misplaced angst is just wrong and the majorty liked it because it's a good zombie/ technically not a zombie game with a fresh premise that's not completely retarded. But then again, you sound like the typical lowest common denominator that needs an explosion every 5 minutes just so they can pay attention. Conclusion: **** off with your sook ********. I think the originals accolades speak for themselves and if you don't like it then why are you here? Again, **** off you choad.
@Zachary_98 You’re that upset because someone doesn’t worship your average first party Sony game? News flash bro: not every game has to be a deep movie that panders to a false sense of underserved intellect. I love how you took the time to reply to every single person. I’m playing Animal Crossing right now bro, one of the most relaxing games there is and doesn’t have explosions. Plus I loved Red Dead Redemption 2, eh, why am I wasting time trying to prove something to you?
The Last of Us just wasn’t that great of a game, it was decent at best and after beating it I had no desire to play it again. I was thinking the second one would be more decent, but it’s been delayed so many times I don’t care anymore. Plus other games coming out this year look way more exciting. Let’s not even bring up accolades because let’s be real, accolades only matters when it benefits a game someone is defending. Other than that, they’re all “paid off”.
well, here is the problem... if they release it digitally, not eveyone will be able to play the game since not everyone has a means of downloading 100GB of data. that means major spoilers will be everywhere and only the most privaleged people will be able to play the game. i think nd is concerned about this in addition to not having the same marketing exposure to make as much revenue as possible. i don't expect many AAA titles to be released beyond final fantasy 7 remake for the remainder of the year. cyberpunk sure as hell isn't going to release either at this rate.
@Batman2049 I can wait for a little more no rush there are more important things now.
@Akurusu Sounds more like you have a big issue towards The Last of Us. I love the the story/characters one of the few games i really cared for the characters. Animal Crossing nice and kidfriendly but for a snoozefest and nothing special.
@Zachary_98 Please cut down on the foul language and start being a lot more respectful towards other posters, otherwise, you won't have an account here for much longer.
@Flaming_Kaiser I said The Last of Us was a decent game.
(i) de·cent
/ˈdēs(ə)nt/
1.
conforming with generally accepted standards of respectable or moral behavior.
2.
of an acceptable standard; satisfactory. (i/)
I also said I didn’t get the hype behind it and hoped the second one would be better, but that’s the same as having a problem with it? I brought up Animal Crossing and Red Dead because they’re slow paced games that want you to enjoy the pace and not kill something every few seconds. Just to prove that guy was wrong. Oh and thanks for calling the former kid friendly, but I doubt a child would understand the mechanics. Have you even played it? I can prove I’ve played games I talk about.
@Akurusu Comparing Animal Crossing with Red Dead Redemption?!
I didn't see that one coming!
On The Last of Us. I enjoyed it in the end but it took me a while. The opening prologue is absolutely brilliant but for me it was only really once I left Pittsburgh that it truly clicked (no pun intended!).
I get why so many people rate itso highly though, it's the obviously a high quality game.
I'm very much looking forward to the sequel. Whenever it is released I'll be buying it, of that there is no doubt.
The delay sucks but I have plenty to play in the meantime, indeed I can hear Joker, Morgana and so telling me it's time to meet up our hideout and take down the latest sh*tty adult!
😉
I'm happy to wait for a perfectly polished product and it's inevitable 4gb+ day one patch.
I'm really looking forward to it!
I've just started Red Dead Redemption 2 yesterday so i'm sorted for a couple of months lol
@Col_McCafferty Oh no man, I wasn’t comparing them. I brought them up because potty mouth said I can’t enjoy a game unless something explodes every five minutes & those two games don’t have that happening. And yes that’s what I’m doing too, playing through Persona 5 Royal and Animal Crossing.
@Akurusu Fair enough although I would say that if you want to complete the main story in Red Dead there will be plenty of killing. Haven't played Animal Crossing so not sure if it's the same with that game.
😉
Yeah he was a tad out of order. We can all agree or disagree with each other but no need for insults.
I don't get it, does other countries not have places like Walmart and Target that sell both groceries and merchandise? If so I think I fixed there logistics I mean seriously. Until recently our GameStop rolled curbside pick up but we are over run for them to be working right now.
@Akurusu I found it brilliant i loved it the ending made it even better i would have not minded if that would have been the ending. I still would love to see Joel his daughter back in another game.
@Col_McCafferty No worries but I beat RDR2 back in 2018. To me, Arthur Morgan is the greatest video game protagonist ever created. It was my second favorite game of the year, coming right behind Monster Hunter World. Animal Crossing is like Stardew Valley, except it has animals and follows real time.
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