The Last Of Us 2 Has Gone Gold, On Track For New Release Date

Game director Neil Druckmann has confirmed that the long-awaited and highly-anticipated The Last of Us Part 2 has officially gone gold. This means the game is ready for printing and distribution (both digital and physical) for its newly-cemented June 19 release date. The announcement came just prior to the release of the game's official trailer, which shows how Ellie has evolved into a capable fighter in the years since the first game. It's also incredibly brutal, but you can view it in full here.

In the "gone gold" announcement video below, Druckmann announced that developer Naughty Dog has "submitted the gold master." With this news signaling that production on TLOU2 discs can finally begin, this should indicate that the sequel will not miss its June launch date. Druckmann doubled-down, saying we will have the game "in just a few short weeks." He also thanked the team for working on what he calls ND's "most ambitious game to date."

TLOU2 has already been delayed a few times, missing its February and May 2020 dates before being pushed back indefinitely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. After a couple of weeks, however, PlayStation announced a new release date for TLOU2, as well as Sucker Punch Productions' Ghost of Tsushima, which hits PlayStation 4 on July 17.

Druckmann also praised various aspects of TLOU2 design, including the art direction, soundtrack (which he calls "amazing"), and more. Additionally, the game's story left him "crying by the end of it." And in response to the recent leaks, Druckmann said that "nothing compares to playing this thing from beginning to end."

With TLOU2 dropping on PS4 this June, we have finally learned the game's file size--and it's huge. According to a listing on the PlayStation Store, the game will set you back almost 100 GB of space. For more on The Last of Us Part 2, check out our official pre-order guide.