The Last of Us Part II developer Naughty Dog has announced that the highly anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive has been delayed again, indefinitely.
The Last of Us Part II has been delayed numerous times before, but the recent decision comes as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps spreading across the globe causing supply difficulties.
In their statement on Twitter, the developer has revealed that the game is indeed finished but that they wouldn’t be able to give the game the launch that they feel it deserves. Unfortunately, if the game is released as planned, it would be difficult to ensure that everyone across the world received access to it at the same time.
A message from us about the delay of The Last of Us Part II: pic.twitter.com/aGsSRfmJ8a
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) April 2, 2020
Of course, there are those fans that feel that there isn’t a better time to release the game digitally, especially since reports show that people across the world are playing games while being stuck at home due to social distancing or lockdown.
However, even if the game was released digitally having PlayStation users from across the globe trying to download one of the most anticipated games of the year games would put a severe strain on Sony’s digital infrastructure, which has already been affected due to the outbreak. Sony is already throttling PlayStation Store download speeds in various regions.
Make no mistake, this is also a business decision on Sony’s part. While making the game available digitally would no doubt see gamers storm the PlayStation online store in the short run, Sony still tends to make most of its money through the sale of physical copies of games.
Whether you agree with the delay or not, it is easy to see this from Naughty Dog’s point of view. They want as many players out there to experience the fruits of their hard work, and, with things as they are now, getting the game to everyone who would want to play it would prove difficult, if not impossible.
It is likely that The Last of Us Part II will not be the only game to be affected by the outbreak. Many are suggesting that the launch of the next-gen consoles could also suffer, or even be delayed.
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