Sony Interactive Entertainment boss Jim Ryan has revealed that demand for The Last of Us Part II has remained strong in face of recent events, and in Europe alone, its preorders have tracked better than those of Marvel’s Spider-Man at the same point before launch.
Ryan disclosed this during an interview with CNet, in which he also said that although Sony hasn’t announced a next-gen version of the game, The Last of Us II will run smoothly on the PlayStation 5.
“We hope this’ll be a defining game for this generation,” he continued.
Speaking of the game’s recent delay separately with Games Industry, Ryan said that the delay was a result of “complete uncertainty” about distribution in the midst of a pandemic. “It was like the world was heading into this big black hole, and we didn’t know whether the internet would be working, we didn’t know whether warehouses would be able to operate,” explained Ryan. “So we took the cautious approach. But the games [The Last of Us II and Ghost of Tsushima both] are ready to go and we are feeling really good about them.”
The Last of Us II‘s spoiler-filled leaks at the hands of a third party attracted backlash from players who vowed to boycott the game based on what they saw. Additionally, there are reports of the game being banned in the Middle East due to its content. However, neither these events nor the pandemic seem to have had an impact on demand.
The Last of Us Part II will release on June 19th.
[Source: CNet, Games Industry]
