Massive spoilers for Naughty Dog’s highly-anticipated action-adventure, The Last of Us Part II, have leaked online. The leak reportedly comes from an employee at Naughty Dog who opted to share details about the game online following what appears to be a disagreement about pay.
As for the legitimacy of the leaks, there’s no doubt that we are looking at a near-final build of The Last of Us Part II.
The leaks are plastered across social media, Reddit, and YouTube, despite Sony jumping in almost immediately to plug the leak by stretching its copyright infringement muscle to have many of the offending material removed. Unsurprisingly, screenshots have been copied, and videos mirrored, making the information widely available across the internet.
We’ll warn you now; these fully merit the ‘spoiler’ name as they divulge crucial story elements, plot points, unfinished multiplayer code, cut scenes, an exhaustive list of missions, and the game’s main menu. There’s also a substantial raft of gameplay footage that includes clips of some of the game’s most important twists.
The leaks are so prevalent on social media that we recommend avoiding searching anything related to The Last of Us Part II if you’re hoping to keep the story a secret ahead of playing yourself. Sadly, some have taken to crashing non-related threads and posts on social media to drop in major plot points and twists to spoil the fun for everyone.
As it stands, The Last of Us Part II is currently delayed indefinitely as Sony and Naughty revealed earlier this month. Logistical issues linked to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on distribution channels mean it was impossible to source physical copies in time for the planned May 29th release date.
Sony and Naughty Dog have explained they are currently investigating an alternative release strategy to ensure all players get to experience the game at the same time. The leak may, however, push both parties to release the game digitally to avoid further spoiling the experience and to pre-empt any further leaks.