Naughty Dog has revealed that development on The Last of Us 2 is complete, with the highly-anticipated sequel on track to hit shelves on its delayed release date of June 19.
The Last of Us 2 creative director Neil Druckmann revealed the news in a YouTube video, explaining that the game has "gone gold". This means that Naughty Dog has submitted its final master copy of the game for distribution or, in layman's terms, development on The Last of Us 2 is officially complete.
"So back in April we told you that you know due to the state of the world, logistics way beyond our control, we had to push the game, which gave us a few extra weeks to polish," Druckmann explained in the video. "And now that we have a release date, we’ve submitted our gold master.
"So that means discs are starting to get pressed and the executable is being put on the PlayStation Network, and you’re going to have our game in just a few short weeks."
It's still going to be worth it
The Last of Us 2 is due to release on June 19, following two delays. Initially the game was due to release on February 21, before being pushed back to May 29. However, Naughty Dog announced in March that the game was being indefinitely delayed due to "logistical concerns".
Then in April, Naughty Dog revealed that The Last of Us will now release on June 19. It seems like the developer's hand was somewhat forced to reveal a new release date, as massive spoilers for The Last of Us 2 leaked in April – revealing most of the game's plot and key details.
However, Druckmann still thinks the experience will be worth it and has encouraged fans to experience The Last of Us 2 for themselves – even if they did get wind of any spoilers. And, with development now complete, it looks like we won't be met with any more delays.
"No matter what you’ve seen or heard or read, nothing compares to playing this thing from beginning to end," Druckmann stated. "It’s a video game, you’ve got to play it."
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