'The Last of Us Part 2' Leaks: Naughty Dog And Sony Employees Confirmed Not Involved

After a major leak for developer Naughty Dog's upcoming PlayStation 4 title "The Last of Us Part 2" rocked the internet, fans immediately believed the culprit had to be a disgruntled employee. As it turns out, publisher Sony has now confirmed that was not the case.

In a recent statement given to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony confirmed that it has identified the individuals responsible for leaking the massive amount of content related to "The Last of Us Part 2" earlier this week. The parties responsible were not, in fact, affiliated with Sony Interactive Entertainment or Naughty Dog, as rumors had spread. However, the publisher declined to comment further, as the information was currently part of an ongoing investigation.

Originally, leaked gameplay videos, cutscenes, debug menus, and additional content hit the internet across social media and beyond, where fans quickly investigated and disseminated the content. Threads upon threads of users examined the footage, offering early thoughts on what they thought the game could entail based on the content out in the wild.

These leaks began appearing just a few weeks following Naughty Dog's announcement that the team was delaying "The Last of Us Part 2" indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the leaks and their influence on the gaming ecosystem, Naughty Dog announced a new release date for "The Last of Us Part 2," putting it out in gamers' hands on June 19.

"As we begin to see an ease in the global distribution environment, I am pleased to confirm that 'The Last of Us Part 2' will arrive on June 19," the official announcement for the game's new release date read.

A message from the developer posted to Twitter stated that the past few days had been "incredibly difficult."

"We feel the same," their statement read. "It's disappointing to see the release and sharing of pre-release footage from development. Do your best to avoid spoilers and we ask that you don't spoil it for others," it said. "'The Last of Us Part 2' will be in your hands soon. No matter what you see and hear, the final experience will be worth it."