We’ve received word today that one of the biggest PS3 exclusives of the year, Naughty Dog‘s The Last of Us, may be seeing some delays. In the words of the studio’s Creative Director, Neil Druckmann:
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The Last of Us is an ambitious project. In many ways it may be Naughty Dog’s most ambitious project to date – brand new universe and cast of characters, brand new tech, brand new genre, not to mention it’s easily the longest campaign Naughty Dog has ever made.
As we entered the final phase of development for The Last of Us, we came to realize just how massive Joel and Ellie’s journey is. But instead of cutting corners or compromising our vision, we came to the tough decision that the game deserved a few extra weeks to ensure every detail of The Last of Us was up to Naughty Dog’s internal high standards.
As a team we pride ourselves on setting a very high quality bar for every aspect of our games – gameplay, story, art, design, technology and more. We want to make sure The Last of Us raises that bar even further – for ourselves, and most importantly, for you, our fans.
The extra wait will be very short and your patience will be rewarded. Update your calendars. You won’t even have to change seasons. The Last of Us will be available June 14th, 2013. Until then, know that we will be working extremely hard to deliver an experience that matches your high expectations.
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I don’t know about all that “brand new genre” stuff but the game does look good enough to be dismayed by this. I was, and am, looking forward to this title as much as the rest of you, but at least we can take solace in the fact that June 14th isn’t too far back from the May release date that we previously had.
Stay strong folks, the delay isn’t that bad.