Following the announcement of The Last of Part II‘s delay due to logistical problems posed by Coronavirus, director Neil Druckmann appeared on the PlayStation Blogcast to discuss the development.
According to the Naughty Dog VP, Sony hasn’t made a “final decision” about a digital-only release in May but added that neither Sony nor the developers want to release The Last of Us II – which is highly anticipated worldwide – for a small fraction of players because not everyone will have the ability to download the game.
Druckmann revealed that he’s a bit “crushed” about the delay, especially since development is complete and all Naughty Dog is doing right now is polishing and bug fixing. The studio “just has to sit on it for a little bit,” Druckmann added after jokingly saying that the world is “conspiring against us.” He believes that the developers have made a “great game” and they’re just as disappointed about the delay as fans are, if not more.
That said, Druckmann revealed that Naughty Dog did anticipate the delay a while ago. As the pandemic started to spread drastically worldwide, the studio’s IT department started making arrangements for developers to work from home – something they had never done at such a scale before. Employees were told to take time off, if necessary, and focus on themselves. Druckmann himself is having to work as a “part-time teacher” and “part-time cook” for his children as schools have been shut down.
“We saw the writing on the wall,” said Druckmann, adding that the developers were told that “if we miss our date, we miss our date.”
When asked what Naughty Dog has to say to fans who have been requesting the studio to release the demo that was previously shown to members of the press, Druckmann said that the demo is outdated now as it was based on an earlier build of the game. He also said that releasing a playable demo that’s based on the final game is a “massive amount of work” that Naughty Dog can’t commit to at this time.
Before signing off, Druckmann reiterated that he understands the disappointment fans are feeling right now. “We’re in the same boat with you,” he said.
The Last of Us Part II has no new release window at present.
[Source: PlayStation Blogcast]
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