Ever since its initial announcement, The Last of Us: Part 2 has undoubtedly been one of the PS4's most hotly anticipated games. Fans have been waiting years to see what happens next, and while we still don't have a concrete release date, there is new evidence that suggests The Last of Us 2 will launch at some point later this year.

Naughty Dog is hiring people for numerous positions, as revealed by The Last of Us 2 co-director Anthony Newman on Twitter. "Lot of awesome positions open to help us close out this game," he said. Newman's "close out this game" comment seems to suggest that The Last of Us 2 is nearing the end of its development cycle.

If The Last of Us 2 is in fact nearing the end of its development cycle, then it's not out of the question that the game will launch by the end of the year. If so, this could validate some of the leaked Last of Us 2 release dates that have more or less all pegged the game for a fall 2019 launch.

This isn't the first piece of solid evidence that The Last of Us 2 release date could very well be sometime in 2019. Previously, noted industry insider and leaker Aokiji posted on the Resetera forums that Sony was going to give fans an update on The Last of Us 2 before E3 2019 in June. The game wasn't showcased during Sony's recent State of Play stream, but there is still time for Sony to show off The Last of Us 2 between now and E3.

We also know that The Last of Us 2 has shot its final cut-scene, and that the motion capture work for Ellie and Joel has finished. Based on this, it certainly seems as though development on The Last of Us 2 could very well be winding down, and so fans shouldn't count out a 2019 release just yet.

With Sony skipping E3 2019, it's hard to say definitively when The Last of Us 2 release date will be announced. If Aokiji's claim is correct, then fans could be surprised with a Last of Us 2 trailer any day now.

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