Everyone waiting with bated breath for news on The Last of Us Part 2 got their wished fulfilled today in a big way. Sony's State of Play presentation not only dropped the upcoming sequel's release date and a brand new trailer; it also allowed developers to break their silence and talk a little about the game themselves.
The Last of Us Part 2 has been in the works for over five years, and the first game released back in 2012. That means fans have had a long time to get hyped over the continuation of Ellie's story, and by the sound of it, developers have spent the last five years putting together an absolute titan of a sequel.
A short while after the State of Play debuted Naughty Dog's new Last of Us trailer, game director Neil Druckmann hopped on the PlayStation blog to issue some firsthand information about Part 2. Druckmann acknowledged that fans had been "very patient" in waiting to learn the game's release date, explaining that Naughty Dog had "wanted to wait until we were close to wrapping up production and we were confident in the date itself." And during this post, Druckmann also referenced the immense size of The Last of Us Part 2, writing, "What we realized pretty early on is that we were putting together Naughty Dog’s most ambitious and longest game in our 35-year history. To tell this kind of story the game needed to be massive."
The size of The Last of Us Part 2 was hinted at previously when actor Troy Baker called it "larger than I had thought possible." Of course, size isn't everything, and fans are also eagerly waiting to see if the sequel provides a satisfying end to Ellie's story--and to the long wait in between games. To that end, Druckmann promised that Naughty Dog was doing everything in its power to deliver, adding, "We know how much you love this world and its characters — especially Ellie and Joel. Believe me, we’re fans as well. We love them. Which is why we spent years crafting a game that we feel will do them justice, telling a nuanced story that deals with the core question: how far would you go to exact justice against the people that hurt the ones you love?"
Considering a playthrough for The Last of Us clocks in at around 12-16 hours (and that number doubles for completionists), players are looking at a fairly huge solo campaign for its sequel. With the wait now reduced to a few months' time before players sink their teeth into The Last of Us Part 2 (and multiple editions now available to pre-order), it'll become clear soon just what Naughty Dog has in store.
The Last of Us Part 2 will release for PlayStation 4 on February 21st, 2020.
Source: PlayStation Blog