[This article will discuss some major spoilers for The Last of Us Part II]
The Last of Us Part II has suffered one of the worst fates an upcoming game can endure, as many major story elements have been spoiled online, some of which have upset the fanbase who are experiencing them out of context.
The Last of Us Part II was delayed in April, following production issues caused by COVID-19. Neither Naughty Dog or Sony was able to give a new release date at the time and the game was delayed indefinitely. Naughty Dog has been working with Sony in order to get the game out as soon as possible, but no one had a release date for the game in mind, leading some fans to worry that it would be pushed back to 2021.
The multiple delays are the least of the anticipated game's problems, as spoiler-y details of The Last of Us Part II leaked online over the weekend - forcing Sony's legal teams to put in work, taking down what they could. The entirety of the game's story isn't known, but several key moments have been revealed online via forum posts and videos. The story events that have been revealed have led to disappointment from some vocal fans of the original game.
We'll be discussing them after the image, so this is your last chance to back out now.
If the leaked materials - confirmed by Naughty Dog - are taken at face value and without context, The Last of Us Part II pulls the same trick as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The player may only control Ellie for roughly half of the game. The rest of The Last of Us Part II follows a new character named Abby, who has appeared in the trailers for the game. It turns out that Abby has a vendetta against Ellie and Joel, with some of the rumors claiming she is the child of an unnamed character murdered by one of them in the first game. Abby kills Joel by smashing his head in with a golf club. The player controls Abby in a level where they fight against Ellie, in which Abby is the victor. It's unclear whether Abby kills Ellie or not, with some accounts differing on how the story concludes.
The reception to these twists has been partly negative on social media, with fans displeased about the death of Joel at the hands of a new character. The story switching perspective to a new character for what appears to be a large portion of the game is also frustrating to some, especially considering how little information has been revealed about her so far. The two protagonists of The Last of Us are some of the most beloved characters in recent video game history and - without context or experiencing the story - some fans are openly (and unjustly) questioning their interest in the sequel on social media based on the spoilers they willing chose to subject themselves to as some of the most eager fans to play it.
It's likely that the small contingent reactionary players would feel differently if given the chance to play through the story in the way the developers intended, rather than experiencing it through incomplete forum posts or videos. Sony Interactive Entertainment has tried to distract fans by announcing the new release date for The Last of Us Part II, but the damage has been done, unfortunately, when it comes to keeping details of the game under wraps. Still, this week doesn't change The Last of Us sequel from being one of the most anticipated games of the year - and judging by the studios's track record, likely one of the best.
The Last of Us Part II releases exclusively for PlayStation 4 on June 19, 2020.
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