The last few weeks haven’t been good for The Last of Us fans who wanted to avoid spoilers for the upcoming sequel, as leaked footage of major story events have been circulating around numerous corners of the Internet. Naturally, everyone’s been wondering who was behind the leak – but contrary to earlier rumors that pointed toward disgruntled Naughty Dog employees, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claims that it was actually a hacker’s doing.
OK: After talking to two people with direct knowledge of how TLOU2 leaked as well as some Naughty Dog employees, I have a good idea of what happened. Short version: hackers found a security vulnerability in a patch for an older ND game and used it to get access to ND’s servers.
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 3, 2020
“OK: After talking to two people with direct knowledge of how TLOU2 leaked as well as some Naughty Dog employees, I have a good idea of what happened,” tweeted Schreier. “Short version: hackers found a security vulnerability in a patch for an older ND game and used it to get access to ND’s servers.”
“I think the footage that leaked is from devs playing an early build (I haven’t watched it). Most importantly, rumors of this being an act of protest by a contractor whose pay was robbed are not true. (ND actually extended pay and healthcare benefits for contractors due to covid).”
Sony had previously confirmed that it had identified the leakers, who were not affiliated with employees at SIE or Naughty Dog. “SIE has identified the primary individuals responsible for the unauthorized release of TLOU2 assets,” the company wrote. “They are not affiliated with Naughty Dog or SIE. We are unable to comment further because the information is subject to an on-going investigation. We’re looking forward to when The Last of Us Part II will be in your hands and can’t wait for you to enjoy the full experience on June 19.”
The leak is a devastating blow to Naughty Dog, which put in years of hard work for the game, but what’s even worse is the reception that the footage has garnered so far. Many fans appear to be unhappy with the story and how certain characters were treated.