The Last of Us 2 might see the light of day earlier than expected.
From the same listing that brought us the 2019 expected release date of Cyberpunk 2077 comes this new rumored listing. The second listing could have leaked the release date of the much awaited sequel to one of the PlayStation 3's defining titles. Slovakian online game store ProGamingShop has listed the release date of The Last of Us 2 as September 28, 2019, which is less than six months from now. They have also, like the Cyberpunk 2077 listing, included a box art for the game.
While the release date of a highly-anticipated game like The Last of Us 2 is definitely something to be excited about, it's worth noting that there are some key factors as to why this date might just be a placeholder date and not something to be taken that seriously.
- The Cyberpunk 2077 listed release date - ProGamingShop lists Cyberpunk 2077's release date as November 28, 2019, which is highly unlikely for two reasons: it lands on a Thursday, and most game releases are on Tuesdays or Fridays; and it's Thanksgiving. What might be going on here is that these are just placeholder dates, which explains their penchant for the 28th day of the month.
- A 2019 release is highly ambitious - The Last of Us 2 just finished its motion capture work just a few days ago. While this is a huge part of the work done, there are still a lot to finish, and it seems highly unlikely that even the most talented developers can pull off such a huge release in the span of six months.
- The Last of Us 2 might be a cross-generational title - As we might eventually see the upcoming PlayStation 5 next year, it is not a stretch to say that The Last of Us 2 will be developed in line with the next-generation console as well, probably as a cross-generational title for both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5.
- Box Art - While art is subjective, and games have been known to use placeholder art before a game releases, that leaked box art is... not the best.
While it's still within the realm of possibility that The Last of Us 2 will be released within the year, perhaps even September, it's important to take every leak and speculation with a huge grain of salt, particularly for the big-title upcoming releases. Is this leak real? We're going to go with 'almost definitely not.'
