The Last of Us II Story Cutscenes Leak, Partially Confirm Previous 4Chan Rumors

Spencer Baculi |

Apr 28, 2020

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to remove the YouTube and Twitter videos that had previously showcased the Last of Us Part 2 leaks following a DMCA take down request from legal representatives of Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Pivotal story moments from Naughty Dog’s highly-anticipated The Last of Us II have been leaked online two months before it’s official release date, with the recently released cutscenes confirming many previously discussed rumors surrounding the game.

The cutscenes, which were leaked sometime over the weekend of April 25^th, appear to be taken from a test build of the game, given the various overlaying information. This has led to speculation that the game was leaked by an ex-Naughty Dog employee over an ongoing payment dispute with the publisher, but as of writing, this remains unconfirmed.

In the footage, Ellie and Joel are seen exploring an abandoned school before Ellie questions Joel about his decision to rescue her from the Firefly lab, thus losing a chance at a cure for the Cordyceps Virus, at the end of the first game, to which he explains that “there was no cure.”

Next, Ellie and Dina share a tender moment and then attempt to have sex, though the moment is ruined by the arrival of The Last of Us II newcomer Jesse.

The two women share a tearful conversation as Dina begs Ellie not to embark on a quest for revenge against the Seraphites, presumably for an attack on their settlement and the murder of Jesse.

Most importantly, Dina notes in this scene that both Jesse and Joel are dead at that point in the story:

In case the YouTube video is taken down.

Here is a video from Twitter.

It seems that the players will switch perspectives at some point in the game, as footage also shows the player in control of Abby, the daughter of one of the surgeons killed by Joel at the end of the first game who has vowed revenge against Ellie and Joel.

The leak also confirms that Joel is indeed killed during the course of the game, being beaten to death by Abby while Ellie is forced to watch:

In a cutscene from what appears to be the end of the game, a player-controlled Abby wins a fist fight against Ellie, allegedly killing her and leaving her for dead as she chokes on her own blood:

You can also see some of the gameplay footage below.

These recent cutscene leaks confirm some of The Last of Us II plot points which were leaked earlier this month to 4chan, allegedly by “an immediate family member of someone working at Naughty Dog [on] The Last of Us 2.”

These leaks correctly described scenes seen in the leaks, including the deaths of Jesse and Joel and the intimate moment shared between Dina and Ellie.

However, the footage also contradicts some of the alleged details, such as Ellie ending up with a ‘Seraphite girlfriend’ and Dina’s death early in the plot.

Following these leaks, Naughty Dog posted “a message from the studio” to their official Twitter account.

The message states that it’s “disappointing to see the release and sharing of pre-release footage from development” and asks fans to “do your best to avoid spoilers.”

However, it hasn’t been all bad news for Naughty Dog’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed first entry in the series, as simultaneous to these leaks, Sony announced that the game was no longer considered ‘indefinitely delayed’ and confirmed that the game would be releasing for the PlayStation 4 on June 19^th, 2020.