Fans Can Expect to Play 'The Last Of Us Part 2' Three Months Later Now

"The Last of Us Part 2," one of the PlayStation 4's major upcoming 2020 releases, has just been delayed.

Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer Naughty Dog confirmed that the game's new release date will be in May instead. Earlier in September 2019, the hotly-anticipated title was confirmed for a February 21, 2020 debut. That's unfortunately no longer the case according to game director Neil Druckmann.

"Let me cut to the chase and get the news out of the way," Druckmann shared at the official Naughty Dog blog. "The Last of Us Part II has a new release date of May 29, 2020." Now, fans will have to wait three more months later from the original launch date to see what happens in the post-apocalyptic series' thrilling second installment.

Druckmann recalled an event just over a month ago where journalists were invited to play the game and experience what the team had worked on thus far noting the "positive response" from the community had been "overwhelming." He called it "invigorating" to have some sort of glimpse at the validation of all the work the team at Naughty Dog had done over the past few years.

"However, it was during the last few weeks, as we were closing out sections of the game, that we realized we simply didn’t have enough time to bring the entire game up to a level of polish we would call Naughty Dog quality," Druckmann explained of the decision to delay the game. "At this point, we were faced with two options: compromise parts of the game or get more time. We went with the latter, and this new release date allows us to finish everything to our level of satisfaction while also reducing stress on the team."

While the team is "relieved" they won't have to compromise what they've seen as their long-term vision for the title, they're disappointed that the situation had to happen in the first place.

"We hope you understand that this additional time ensures that 'The Last of Us Part 2' lives up to our collective ambition as well as our commitment to the highest level of quality. We know the extra few months will add to what may already be an excruciating wait for all of us. We are grateful for your patience and continued support," Druckmann concluded.

Fans will now have to wait longer to get their hands on Naughty Dog's latest work. But 2020 is already chock-full of triple-A titles in the first half of the year. "Cyberpunk 2077" and "Final Fantasy 7 Remake" are both set for release before summer sets in. So perhaps this delay isn't bad news – it should offer some breathing room for gamers looking to get through those heavy-hitters first.