The Last of Us Part II gets a new release date following massive leaks

The Last of Us Part II was recently delayed amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the game has a new release date following leaks online.

The Last of Us Part II has had a troubled timeline recently, but the game now has a new release date, according to the PlayStation blog. The game, produced by Naughty Dog, will now be released on June 19 — meaning there’s just under two months to go before the game heads to PlayStation consoles.

While it’s good news to know that the game will be here soon (it was initially scheduled for May 29, 2020, before being delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic earlier this month), the new release date comes after massive leaks for the game came out over the weekend.

Of course, PlayStation revealed little about why the game got a new release date. On the blog, the company said:

"I want to personally congratulate and thank both the teams at Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch Productions on their achievements, as we know it’s not an easy feat to reach the finish line under these circumstances. Both teams have worked hard to deliver world-class experiences, and we can’t wait to see what you think of them when they release in just a few short months."

PlayStation also noted that Ghost of Tsushima would be released by Sucker Punch Productions on July 17. But when they say “under these circumstances” in the statement, they’re referring to having to work through new conditions under the coronavirus pandemic. But it can’t be amiss that the statement feels like it has a double meaning to when it comes to the leaks.

Most of the original leaks have been scrubbed clean since its original posting, and we won’t share any of the spoilers here, but Endgadget reports that the leaks surfaced on YouTube and eventually made their way to forums across Reddit.

Despite the original leaks being taken down, there is still information out there including gameplay level information and possible plot points. With all spoilers, those should be taken with a grain of salt. But seeing as one of the first Reddit posts with leaks was taken down “in response to a copyright claim by a third party,” it seems like many of the spoilers could be legit.

Newsweek is reporting that a clip of the game was “allegedly uploaded by a disgruntled Naughty Dog employee or game tester.” Though again, this is all to be taken with a grain of salt as far as who’s responsible and for what reason it was done. In the meantime, for those who don’t want spoilers, navigate social media cautiously. Some subreddits are doing their best to curb spoilers and give spoiler warnings to any content that does discuss the game. But there’s lots of information in plain sight — so be cautious.

The Last of Us is also still due for a live-action show on HBO that will likely be a direct adaptation of the first game with Joel and Ellie.

Look out for The Last of Us Part II to be released June 19, 2020.