As the deadly coronavirus outbreak sweeps the world, it’s impacting industries around the globe. Beginning with numerous event cancellations earlier this year, the virus eventually saw the delays of movies and games, both due to production interruptions and economic factors amid social distancing and stay-at-home orders. The Last of Us Part II is the latest game to be affected, delayed indefinitely until Sony can find a better time to “logistically” provide the “launch experience [the] players deserve.” Iron Man VR is also caught up in the delay until further notice.
Update: SIE has made the difficult decision to delay the launch of The Last of Us Part II and Marvel’s Iron Man VR until further notice. Logistically, the global crisis is preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 2, 2020
Originally set to launch on May 29, Naughty Dog confirmed that The Last of Us Part II is basically finished and the delay isn’t for the team to work on the game more. It’s simply about planning the logistics of shipping and digital delivery to the satisfaction of all the players.
The good news is, we’re nearly done with development of The Last of Us Part II. However, even with us finishing the game, we were faced with the reality that due to logistics beyond our control, we couldn’t launch The Last of Us Part II to our satisfaction. We want to make sure everyone gets to play The Last of Us Part II around the same time, ensuring that we’re doing everything possible to preserve the bext experience for everyone. This meant delaying the game until such a time where we can solve these logistic issues.
The full statement was tweeted out by the company:
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
Sony added, “Currently, there are no other delays to report, but we’ll keep you updated.” This means that, for now, releases of the likes of Ghost of Tsushima and the PlayStation 5 appear to be on track for their intended release dates/windows.
It’s not a terribly surprising move, given the negative reception Square Enix is facing for Final Fantasy VII Remake’s very scattered launch around the world. While some territories are getting their hands on the game almost two weeks early, others will have to wait for delayed shipments well past the intended April 10 release date.
The Last of Us Part II is also a game about a post-apocalyptic world following a global pandemic that wiped out life and created zombie-like parasitic creatures. While not explicitly confirmed, it seems the rather pointed subject matter could have been at least factored into the decision to hold the game for now. There’s definitely a history for such decisions coming in the midst of massive tragedies.
At this time, there are no targeted release dates for either The Last of Us Part II or Iron Man VR. Given the uncertain nature of the coronavirus outbreak and the shaky foundations it put the world economy and infrastructure on, Sony wants to wait for a bit more logistical security before committing to a firm release date again.
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