The Last of Us Part 2 has been delayed ‘until further notice’

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2 has been delayed until further notice.

Sony Interactive Entertainment said on Thursday that the indefinite delay is due to disruption caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Logistically, the global crisis is preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve,” it said in a statement.

The Last of Us Part 2 was due to release for PlayStation 4 in May.

Update, April 27: Sony has announced new release dates for The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima.

Original story continues: Sony also announced on Thursday it has delayed first-party title Iron Man VR due to the virus pandemic, but said that “currently there are no other delays to report, but we’ll keep you updated.”

In its own statement, developer Naughty Dog said that development on Part 2 was “nearly done” but logistical issues had led to the decision to delay its release.

“We’re sure this news is just as disappointing to you as it is to us,” it said. “The good news is, we’re nearly done with development of The Last of Us Part II. We are in the midst of fixing our final bugs.

“However, even with us finishing the game, we were faced with the reality that due to logistics beyond our control, we couldn’t launch [the game] to our satisfaction.

“We want to make sure everyone gets to play The Last of Us Part II around the same time, ensuring that we’re doing everything possible to preserve the best experience for everyone. This meant delaying the game until such a time where we can solve these logistic issues.

“We were bummed about the decision but ultimately understood it’s what’s best and fair to all of our players.”

Sony had warned stakeholders last week that there was a potential “risk of delays” to first and third-party PlayStation games due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement published on Friday, the PlayStation parent said it was “carefully monitoring the risk of delays in production schedules for game software titles” at both its first-party and partner studios, primarily in Europe and the US.

PlayStation has another major first-party release planned for the next few months: Sucker Punch‘s Ghost of Tsushima, which is due on June 26.

A Sony spokesperson told Bloomberg last week that the company “doesn’t see any notable impact” on the launch of PlayStation 5 planned at the end of this year.

The Last of Us Part II is the first major release to be delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Upcoming releases Resident Evil 3 and Final Fantasy VII Remake, which will have long since finished game development, have none-the-less suffered logistical issues.

Square Enix has confirmed it has shipped Final Fantasy VII Remake physical copies ahead of schedule in Europe and Australia, to ensure supply.

Capcom Europe warned that physical copies of Resident Evil 3 could be delayed in the region due to restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic.