The Last of Us Developers React to Leaks, Share Gameplay

Naughty Dog, the studio behind The Last of Us Part 1, published a 10-minute video Thursday diving into the features and gameplay of the new game. Developers from the studio also shared their feelings about the many leaks of the upcoming game, describing them as alternately "disheartening" and "hurtful."

The preview, accompanied by a post on the PlayStation Blog, described the game's newly improved visuals, from textures, to animations, to effects.

"The PS5's powerful hardware dries a host of visual benefits, from denser physics with tons of bumpables and chipables (bullets can now rip apart concrete and environmental objects) and cinematics now transition seamlessly to gameplay," reads the blog written by Sony Interactive Entertainment Senior Director of Content Communications Sid Shuman.

"Motion matching technology means that character animations flow more convincingly, intuitively and realistically; all adding another layer of believability to characters and their interactions with the world. Further, AI upgrades mean that characters inhabit the world in a more authentic and realistic way, such as buddy characters navigating cover to avoid enemy NPC sightlines more authentically."

The blog post confirms The Last of Us Part 1 will render native 4K at a locked 30 frames per second or dynamic 4K at a targeted 60 FPS.

On a features front, the remake will add a permadeath mode, a mode designed for speedrunning, new unlockable costumes for Joel and Ellie and more than 60 accessibility options including a new Audio Description mode.

In a tweet from June, Naughty Dog said "Gameplay mechanics are also rebuilt," but details of the changes have yet to be made public.

The preview follows a week full of Last of Us Part 1 leaks, from gameplay footage to accessibility options and controls.

"Leaks really suck," tweeted Naughty Dog vice president Arne Meyer. "[Especially] when we're right on the cusp of an asset drop. It's disheartening and frustrating to teams who have put their hearts into making awesome things for our fans."

Samuel Prince, a senior editor at Naughty Dog, echoed that sentiment in a tweet published Thursday.

"I just want to say that leaks suck. They're extremely hurtful to the devs who work tirelessly to bring you these wonderful games. Public-facing assets take a long time to create, revise, approve, localize, clear legal, ESRB, etc. Be kind!"

The Last of Us Part 1 launches Sept. 2, exclusively on PlayStation 5. A PC version is currently in development for release at a later date.