Everything you need to know about The Last of Us 2 hack, and what it means for the game's release

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

A few weeks on from 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Last of Us 2 hack, and we're still apparently feeling its impact, as even more footage of the upcoming PS4 game ha🌠s landed online just days out from release. 

Naturally, we're not going to share that here, as you can go out and find it for yourself if you're so inclined, though it's worth stressing that Last of Us 2 director Neil Druckmann 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:has confirmed that many of the spoilers out there right now are false, or misleading.

But how did The Last of Us 2 hack happen in the first place? There have been conflicting reports, but with Sony reportedly identifying the culprits behind the leak, we'𒆙ve gone ove🍷r all the information currently available about The Last of Us 2 hack and leak, and will update this story as it progresses. 

The Last of Us 2 hack: When did the game leak? 

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us 2 leak was first reported on April 26, when a user took to the ResetEra and rounded up info﷽rmation including gameplay footage, story details for the game's plot (yes, even the ending), and more. Ifꦗ you want to read it, you can see the here.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Naughty Dog was quick to respond, issuing a statement on its Twitter, as well as a new 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Last of Us 2 release date for June 19. You cﷺan see Naughty Dog's stꦚatement below.

Sony also provided a statement to GamesRadar 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:at the time saying: "We’re disappointed tha♎t anyone would release unauthorized pre-launch footagꦗe of The Last of Us Part 2, disrupt years of Naughty Dog’s hard work and ruin the experience for fans worldwide.

"We want everyone to have the opportunity to plဣay The Last of Us Part 2 at the same time and ask that viewing or sharing of the un♛authorized footage be avoided."

Almost two months later, on June 9, the game's opening moments surfaced on YouTube, although it's unclear if these derived from The Last of Us 2 hack, or the fact that review copies are now out and in the w𝔉ild. 

Who hacked and leaked The Last of Us 2?

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

After the leak, a rumour started circulating through Reddit, in a post that has since been deleted, that the hack and leak was carried out by a disgruntled employee of the studio. That rumour, however, turned out to be false when 澳洲幸运5🦩开奖号码历史查询:Sony identified who had hacked the game and confirmed that it was not a Naughty Dog employee.

In a statement to , Sony said: "SIE has identified the primary individuals responsible for the unauthorized release of TLOU2 assets. They are no𒐪t affiliated with Naughty Dog or SIE. We are unable to comment further because the information is subject to an on-going investigation." 

So why the rumour about this being a Naughty Dog employee? Well, the original Reddit post had falsely claimed Naughty Dog was furloughing staff as well as withholding bonuses on the game (it has since been deleted, but you can view it via the here). Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, who had covered crunch working conditions for , took ⛦to Twitter to assert that the Reddit post was fake, as well as claim that Naughty Dog was playing its contractors extra because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Essentially, at this moment in time, only Sony knows who hacked the g𒁏ame, but it has confirmed it's not a Naughty Dog employee.

How was The Last of Us 2 hacked? 

This is where things get a little more complicate✅d. After Sony had announced it had identified the person who had leaked the game's assets, a twitter user by the name of PixelButts went through in detail about how the game was hacked. For can read the full thread .  

In layperson's terms, each Naughty Dog game🦹 reportedly contained a key that can access the developer's server. This was exploited by hackers who were then able to copy items off The Last o﷽f Us 2's development server, which apparently included the game footage that has since leaked. Naughty Dog has since fixed this vulnerability according to the Twitter thread, but clearly, the damage has been done by this point.   

How has this affected development of The Last of Us 2? 

Simply put, it hasn't any more than the current pandemic has. The Last of Us 2 had suffered another delay in April when it was indefinitely postponed due to concerns regarding COVID-19. Since the leak, we've had a confirmed release date for the game, as well as news from , the game's creative director, that it has gone Gold. This means the game is being pressed onto discs and being uploaded to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:PlayStation Network.

In short, while this hack and leak won't affect the game's release more than it already ha💧s, there is still plenty to learn officially about how this hack took place. We'll be sure to update you when we learn more. 

Here's 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how to avoid The Last of Us 2 spoilers in the run-up to its release.

Ben Tyrer is a freelance games journalist with over ten years experience of writing about games. After graduating from Bournemouth University with a degree in multimedia journalism he's worked for Official PlayStation Magazine as a staff writer and games editor, as well as GamesRadar+ (hey, that's this website!) as a news editor. He's also contributed to Official Xbox Magazine, Edge, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, PC Games N, and more. His game of the year🃏 - no matter the year - is Rocket League.