"The Last Of Us 2," the sequel to Naughty Dog's epic 2013 PlayStation 3 game, remains unseen as of now. Certain reports point to a near release, but so far, nothing is confirmed. Let's look at what the reports say, and what the game devs themselves are saying.
Earlier reports
Previous reports strongly point to the game being released this year. Here are some clues coming from earlier reports.
First, a video posted on YouTube showed voice actors Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker (who plays Ellie and Joel respectively). The video was captioned: "Music from The Last Of Us Part II (2019) PSX Panel." The "2019" there seems worthy of note.
Second, Alanah Pearce, formerly an editor for IGN, tweeted that The Last Of Us 2 is coming in 2019. She said, via her since-deleted tweets, that she got the information several times from several persons. Although this is unconfirmed, there's a possibility it might be true.
Third, while performing in Kuwait, The Last Of Us 2 soundtrack composer Gustavo Santaolalla said the game is coming out "very soon." Santaolalla said this casually, which could mean a variety of things, including an actual release. It remains to be seen if what he said is true, though.
Lastly, netizens found that The Last Of Us 2 has been listed as "coming" in October this year. The listing, which comes in the form of promotional material, is from a Peruvian gaming retailer. Although the listing has since been taken down, the info has already been leaked for the gaming public to think about.
Current reports
More recently, The Last Of Us 2 has been the subject of leaks and rumors that are worth considering.
A redditor who goes by the name of fetemucke found that The Last of Us Part II has been listed on the PlayStation U.S., U.K., Germany and Italy stores as "Coming Soon" among other confirmed 2019 titles such as "Control," "Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled," "Concrete Genie," "Days Gone," "Rage 2" and "Mortal Kombat 11."
Although the exact date is unknown, it's pretty interesting to see The Last Of Us 2 listed alongside titles that are sure to come this year. Satire website The Onion seems to have enjoyed this leak and published their own "report" with the title, "'The Last Of Us 2' To Be Released In 2019."
Game devs' response
Naughty Dog community manager Arne Meyer was amused, even happy that The Onion wrote an article about them, GameSpot reported. In response, he said via a tweet that the game company will make an announcement when they are ready.
Meyer's announcement should comfort players. The Last Of Us was a blockbuster that deserved an epic sequel. Naughty Dog seems intent on making that happen and is taking their time to make it work that way.
