- The gaming press is now in possession of the The Last of Us Part II review copies.
- The review embargo is set to lift on Friday, June 12.
- Such a long embargo-to-release gap suggests Sony and Naughty Dog are quietly confident despite massive leaks and successive delays.
Ahead of The Last of Us Part II launch on June 19, a lucky few press outlets have received review copies of the highly-anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusives.
Journalists have unsurprisingly taken to social media to showcase the very little Sony’s strict embargo allows – the title screen and the icon on the PlayStation UI.
Alongside we’ve learned that the review embargo lifts on June 12 – a full week before launch – going against the grain of industry convention.
The Last of Us Part II Embargo Lifts Early
Embargoes allow developers and publishers to regulate the flow of information about an upcoming game ahead of launch. More often than not, they will orchestrate an embargo lift as close to release to capitalize on day-one sales while avoiding the fallout from potentially negative reviews.
In some cases, the embargo even lifts after the game’s release as with Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Unity.
Such a sizable gap between reviews and release implies Sony and developer Naughty Dog are quietly confident about The Last of Us Part II. And this, despite massive spoilers and successive delays that have hampered anticipation.
Spoilers and Delays
Last month, leaks found their way online, revealing core plot points, the full list of missions, cut scenes, and more. The spoilers quickly circulated on social media, with opportunistic trolls hijacking unrelated threads and posts with spoilers.
The phenomenon even spread to other big game reveals, such as Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla announcement where spoilers littered the chat on YouTube and Twitch.
The Last of Us Part II also bore the full brunt of the ongoing pandemic with logistical issues leading to two delays in April alone.
It’s safe to say that the path to release has been a tumultuous one for The Last of Us Part II.
Regardless, Sony appears unperturbed with such an early end to the embargo. Understandably so, given the appetite for the sequel to one of the most revered exclusives to grace the PlayStation platform.
In the unlikely case that negative reviews come to define the critical response, the game is guaranteed commercial success.
In the meantime, Sony is hosting a special edition of State of Play tomorrow at 1 pm PT. Naughty Dog VP Neil Druckmann will offer an extended look at never-before-seen gameplay.
This article was edited by Samburaj Das.
