The Last of Us Part II Release Pushed to May 29 Next Year, Developer Cites Quality Refinement as Reason

The Last of Us Part II has been one of the most hotly-anticipated titles coming to the PlayStation 4, but fans will have to wait longer before they can embark on a new journey with Ellie. Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us Part II was supposed to be out on February 21 next year, but the release date has now been pushed forward to May 29. As for the reason behind the delay, Naughty Dog says that the studio needs more time to polish the game and enhance the quality of the overall experience to match their standards.

Neil Druckmann, Director of The Last of Us Part II, revealed in a blog lengthy blog post explaining that the team needs more time to further fine-tune the game, and that the decision to push its release was taken in the final stages before the release. “However, it was during the last few weeks, as we were closing out sections of the game, that we realised we simply didn't have enough time to bring the entire game up to a level of polish we would call Naughty Dog quality," Druckman wrote.

He also added that the new release date will provide the developer with an ample amount of time to give The Last of Us Part II final touches, while providing some stress relief to the team behind the game. It appears that Naughty Dog is primed to abide by the new May 29 release date and won't push it any further, unless something really crazy happens.

The Last of Us Part II was announced back in December 2016 at the PlayStation Experience, and after four years in development that was marked by multiple release window leaks that never materialised, it will finally be out in May next year. We hope, and so does the studio, that delay is worth the wait for fans who will likely appreciate a polished gameplay experience rather than a hot mess of glitches and bugs that most hurried releases turn out to be.