Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
The Last of Us 2 gameplay footage leaks were definitely an unfortunate moment for everyone involved in the game, and Sony isn’t taking it laying down. Apparently, the company launched an investigation and identified the source of the leak, but it allegedly wasn’t anyone on staff at Sony Interactive or Naughty Dog as recent rumors implied.
Sony confirmed its identification of the Last of Us 2 leaker in a recent statement to GamesIndustry.biz on May 1, 2020. According to the company, the person responsible for the leak that spoiled much of the story in Last of Us 2 had been identified. Though Sony did not reveal the identity of the culprit, they did reveal that it turned out it wasn’t an employee of Sony Interactive Entertainment or Naughty Dog.
“Sony has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that it has identified the primary individuals responsible for the leaks earlier this week,” wrote GamesIndustry. “Saying they were not affiliated with Sony Interactive Entertainment or Naughty Dog, as was rumored.”
It may come as a surprise to many that the culprit was not part of the development team given the very intimate nature of the Last of Us 2 gameplay footage leaks that revealed huge swaths of unseen story points in the game. The Last of Us 2 has been through the ringer with delays and also having to work around the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The issues forced Naughty Dog to skip PAX East 2020 and even delay the game indefinitely for a time. Though the game eventually received a new release date in June 2020, it came just after the leaks occurred.
Naughty Dog has expressed quite a bit of disappointment in the existence of released footage. A lot of people have poured their hearts into work on the game and it remains one of the most anticipated titles of 2020. Whatever happens, it would appear whoever is responsible is dangerously close to getting what’s coming to them if Sony has any say in the matter.