It's safe to say that many fans were expecting Sony to offer another look at The Last of Us: Part 2 at this year's E3, but the highly anticipated followup to the 2013 critical darling was nowhere to be seen. The game's creative director, Neil Druckmann, has taken to Twitter to explain why The Last of Us: Part 2 was missing in action, and it all has to do with Naughty Dog's next release, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

Basically, Naughty Dog didn't want The Last of Us: Part 2 to overshadow Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which was actually the game selected to open Sony's E3 press conference this year. While some fans may still be disappointed that The Last of Us: Part 2 didn't make an appearance at the show, this line of reasoning actually makes a great deal of sense.

After all, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a smaller project, serving as a standalone expansion for Uncharted 4: A Thief's EndThe Last of Us: Part 2, meanwhile, is the sequel to one of the most critically-acclaimed games of last generation, and so it's safe to say that there is already a great deal more hype behind it than the new Uncharted. By showing The Last of Us: Part 2 at E3, it could have completely stolen the spotlight away from Naughty Dog's next game.

And since Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is next to bat for Naughty Dog, it makes more sense to feature it at this year's E3 than a game that could still be years away. If anything, it would make more sense for The Last of Us: Part 2 to make an appearance at the PlayStation Experience in December, since that was where the game was first announced last year, and the next one will take place after Uncharted: The Lost Legacy launches.

So while it may be disappointing that fans didn't get another look at The Last of Us: Part 2 at E3 2017, at least it wasn't due to the game having a troubled development cycle. And while we can't say for certain, with the third annual PlayStation Experience set to take place this December, one has to imagine that we will see the game again before the end of the year.

The Last of Us: Part 2 is in development for PS4.