The Last Of Us Part I Hit With Crushing Delay
The PC version of The Last of Us Part I has been delayed to March 28, 2023, as Naughty Dog works on polishing the remake.
Naughty Dog just announced that the PC version of The Last of Us Part I will be delayed by a few weeks from its original release date to March 28, 2023. The reason for the delay is, as per usual, more time for final polishing. And while we’re usually critical of such excuses, Naughty Dog wants to ensure that the game receives the same amount of attention as the currently aired HBO series and the PlayStation 5 release of the game.
According to Destructoid, the few extra weeks will give Naughty Dog just a bit more time to work on The Last of Us Part I port, ensuring that the PC version puts a good foot forward. The game was originally supposed to launch on March 3, less than ten days away from the same-name HBO adaptation’s finale. However, given the delay, instead of dropping a few days before Episode 9, The Last of Us Part I PC port will debut a few weeks after. Unfortunately, Sony and Naughty Dog apparently aren’t interested in repeating the Firefly Edition of the game.
Ultimately, this delay is actually good for the game and the gaming fans, as it will ensure a higher level of quality. The effects of the HBO show on the success of the PlayStation 5 version of The Last of Us Part I can’t be underestimated since the sales jumped by more than 200%. That number climbs to 300% for the PlayStation 4 version of the game, so we can expect massive sales for the PC gaming platform once the game becomes available. This creates additional pressure on Naughty Dog to ensure that the game is at its best at launch.
However, it still remains to be seen whether the sparked interest in the game is enough for The Last of Us Part I to compete with the biggest gaming release in the past year. HBO’s adaptation is very faithful to the game, and any deviations that it made are done in a masterful way. Considering that gamers tend to be an unforgiving and often toxic crowd when it comes to their favorite titles, the series ranking speaks for itself—it actually has the chance to dethrone Breaking Bad. So, it’s not actually that surprising that the sales of the games have spiked.
Naughty Dog announced The Last of Us Part I for PC at The Game Awards in December, but the announcement was very brief, and the developer hasn’t offered any specific details regarding the release. Sony continues to release some of its biggest hits and bestsellers for the PC platform after it finally realized that the exclusivity it so heavily relied upon is preventing them from expanding into a wider market. For the past two years, the company has dedicated its resources to bringing some of its bestsellers to the PC platform and will continue to do so in the future.
In fact, as per our previous report, Sony aims to bring 30% of its first-party releases, such as The Last of Us Part I, to the PC, with mobile gaining 20% and the other 50% being dedicated to PS5, by 2025. This spells bad news for PlayStation 4, but hopefully, Sony will take a page from Xbox’s book—for once—and keep supporting the console.
