A week ago, footage revealing major plot points for The Last of Us 2 leaked online. It was something minor, either, instead revealing much more of the game that many would have guessed or expected, and ever since, people have been sharing these spoilers online, even during the reveal of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Now, how it happened has been revealed. This article will NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS.
Shortly after the leaks happened, Sony led an investigation and uncovered he 'primary individuals' responsible for it. This doesn't necessarily explain the how or why, though, which led to ramped up the already built-up speculation that it was due to a disgruntled employee. One Reddit thread event with viral with such a claim, citing the false statistic of "hundreds of furloughed employees." Now, while the why is still in question, the "how" for The Last of Us 2 leaks has been answered.
Speaking to Naughty Dog employees and people with "direct knowledge of how TLOU2 leaked," former Kotaku editor Jason Schreier states that hackers found a security vulnerability and exploited it. It was via a patch in an older game that granted them access to Naughty Dog's servers, and from there, the hacker was able to leak the footage.
This explains how the leaks contained The Last of Us 2 developer footage, one of the cornerstones as to why many thought it came from a Naughty Dog developer. Hopefully, it also lays to rest the rumors that it was a contractor, as according to Schreier, Naughty Dog has extended pay and healthcare benefit due to the coronavirus pandemic.
At the time of this writing, there's about 6-7 weeks before The Last of Us 2 launches on its new release date, June 19. This means that those who have avoided spoilers thus far have to survive another month and a half, as many negligent and uncaring persons share the information online. There is a chance that some of the info is false, as it was piece together from various bits of footage, but at this point, there's not much change the story will change. In short, players should wait and see what's in the game itself and do their best to avoid places with uncontrollable chats.
The Last of Us 2 will launch on June 19, exclusively for PS4.