Hot after getting an update on the game’s development, a retailer has leaked a potential release date and tossed some coal in the hype train. Slovakian retailer Pro Gaming Shop listed The Last of Us Part 2 with a September 27, 2019 release date along with some box art.
GamingBolt reported the find and the inclusion of box art may lead one to believe this is a plausible leak, but it looks like that retailer actually stole the placeholder image from an artist. The image, which has had a few elements added to it to make it look like the legitimate box art for The Last of Us Part 2, is actually a drawing attributed to artist Firat Keles on Reddit and it was published at least three years ago.
This use of photoshopped artwork takes away from the credibility of the release date since this at least confirms the listing is not tied to any official artwork supplied by Naughty Dog. Nevertheless, the window for the release is still something to keep in mind. Naughty Dog Vice President and Creative Director Neil Druckmann shared an update on the filming of The Last of Us Part 2’s cinematics, showing that the process including the two lead actors is complete. A tweet before that shared that the ending for the game was complete as well, so it stands to reason that The Last of Us Part 2’s structure from beginning to end is set in stone.
This doesn’t explicitly mean that the gameplay development is done, but a potential fall 2019 release date gives the team a lot of time to fix things up, squash any bugs, and polish until it reaches a blinding shine.
The Last of Us Part 2 is a high-profile sequel to hit PlayStation exclusive The Last of Us, set roughly five years after the original and putting players in control of Ellie. There are only a couple trailers that reveal pieces of the game’s story, but it looks like Ellie, Joel, and some new allies will be facing off against the Fireflies and a new cult organization. Ellie is called a “Wolf” in one of the clips as well.
