Hopefully the rough road for Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Us Part IIwill start to smooth out a bit oncethe game actually arrives this June 19th, but things are still a little sketchy at the moment. A brand new story trailer debuted today to confirm what pretty much everyone expected: Ellie will go off on her own revenge-tinted adventure in the sequel as the world around her becomes increasingly violent and lawless. What Ididn’texpect was just how stab-happy the devs behind the scenes seem to be, defaulting to throat-slitting as a means of both dispatching enemies and threatening our heroes. Sounds fun, yeah?
Equally fun for some folks is smashing that down-vote on a new video from Naughty Dog’sNeil Druckmann. The YouTube message is meant as an update and a “Thank you!” to positive and patient fans, but the ratio is clearly not in Druckmann or Naughty Dog’s favor. Perhaps it’s because Sony and the game studio have not really addressed themassive leaks of the sequel, once rumored to be from a disgruntled employee and nowspun as the result of hackers. Instead, they seem eager to ignore it, sweep it under the rug, and usher gamers toward that pre-order button as the release date gets closer and closer. This story will get more interesting in retrospect once the dust settles, though it remains to be seen how the game itself is received once people actually get their hands on it. Stay tuned.
First up, here’s the new trailer forThe Last of Us Part II:
Watch the all-new story trailer for The Last of Us Part II launching on June 04, 2025. After a vicious and violent event disrupts the relative peace that Ellie has found in Jackson, she sets out to bring justice to those responsible. As she hunts them down one by one, she is confronted with the devastating physical and emotional repercussions of her actions.
Rated Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
And here’s Druckmann’s follow-up message which, under normal circumstances–ie no global pandemics nor catastrophic leaks of the IP–would be a nice if a bit bland personal note to the fans. Instead, as both PlayStation and NaughtyDog lock down their YouTube comments for fear of the negativity impacting customer perception and sales, it just feels like the team is largely ignoring the elephant in the room. Make of this message what you will:
