The Last of Us 2 is easily one of the most anticipated new games of 2019 and beyond, so it's no wonder that every subsequent week has brought with it more speculation, gossip, and rumour about the title's potential release date. The upcoming PS4 game, according to a recent retailer leak, may be arriving as early as October 2019, which has since been corroborated by news that Naughty Dog has wrapped filming on the sequel and rumours that we'll be hearing more from Sony before E3 2019 is over, despite their absence from this year's show.

The Last of Us 2 is even listed next to other 2019 releases like Rage 2 and Days Gone as "coming soon" on the official PlayStation website, but a recent update via Twitter from the game's Co-Director, Anthony Newman, suggests a 2019 launch isn't yet guaranteed. In a tweet announcing that Naughty Dog is recruiting to hire a large number of animators, game designers, and programmers to join The Last of Us 2's team, Newman said that the studio is now seeking to "close out" work on the game, suggesting it is in its final stages of development.

Read more 16 exclusive things we learned about The Last of Us Part 2 from Naughty Dog

That's good news for The Last of Us fans, as it sounds as though no huge Uncharted 4 style delays are impending, but it also leaves the window open for at least another year of development on the game before it finally releases. Think about how long it often takes to hire, train, and get people working on a project at any company, let alone one as busy as Naughty Dog. We could be talking several months before those new employees are actually able to help "close out" development, a process which – in itself – has a infamously flexible timeline.

In short; yes, it's great that the studio is finishing up its development with The Last of Us 2, but that doesn't mean we can expect to see the sequel launching before Christmas. That said, Sony needs to have something to show for itself come the Holiday season, so perhaps Death Stranding or Final Fantasy 7 Remake will fill the gap and fill out the list of best PS4 games to play this year. Either that, or we'll be hearing more about the recently announced PS5...

The Last of Us 2 is a no show during this year's E3 2019 schedule, but watch the video below to find out about the biggest E3 2019 games to expect from the expo.