Sony announced last week that it is delaying the launch of The Last of Us 2 indefinitely, saying in a tweet that the global crisis caused by the coronavirus is "preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve."

Developer Naughty Dog issued its own statement on Twitter as well. In it, the studio said that while it's in the final stretches of development, there are logistical issues that will prevent it from ensuring the best experience, including a simultaneous global launch.

"We were bummed about this decision but ultimately understood it's what's best and fair to all of our players," the statement reads. "We're hoping that this won't be a long delay and we'll update you as soon as we have new information to share."

Update: SIE has made the difficult decision to delay the launch of The Last of Us Part II and Marvel's Iron Man VR until further notice. Logistically, the global crisis is preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 2, 2020

A message from us about the delay of The Last of Us Part II: pic.twitter.com/aGsSRfmJ8a
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) April 2, 2020

This follows another release date delay that had pushed the game's release until May 2020, not long after it had been announced for February. (Prior to that, it was due out last year.) This latest delay has no release date attached, but unlike others, it's not due to extra development time. Sony has previously said that the coronavirus pandemic shouldn't impact the release of the PlayStation 5, which is also due this year. Presently, The Last of Us 2 is only slated for release on PS4.

Despite the delay, Naughty Dog dropped a bunch of new The Last Of Us 2 screenshots, captured on a PS4 Pro.

Today's announcement from Sony also noted that Marvel's Iron Man VR is similarly delayed until further notice.

The Last of Us 2 News