The Last of Us 2 goes gold as Neil Druckmann assures fans that "nothing compares" to playing

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"It's a video game. You've gotta play it."

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us 2 has gone gold and director Neil Druckmann has a special message for fans to mark the occasion.

Posted on Naughty Dog's YouTube account, Druckmann used the video message to applaud his team as work on the shipping game code and assets ends. Work on updates, any DLC, and the multiplayer Factions counterpart that Naughty Dog teased a while back resumed immediately after, I'm sure, but it's still a cool milestone.

"Normally this would be a moment of celebration, we'd be at the office having a drink, eating cake," Druckmann said. "But we're all stuck in our homes. And I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate the team that has pulled off the most ambitious game we've ever made.

"I know I've said this before, but you won't know to what degree until you get your hands on it and see the care that has gone into every detail: from the level design, to the mechanics, graphically how the game looks, environments, art direction, characters, story, the audio design, the soundtrack - oh my God, the soundtrack is so amazing - that even for us who have played this game we can't even count how many times, we're still emotionally moved. I just finished a playthrough and I was crying by the end of it."

Druckmann also took the opportunity to indirectly respond to the leaks that spoiled some of the game's story. Sony has caught the perpetrators behind the leak, and though the damage is done, Druckmann reminded fans that they still have much more ahead of them.

"No matter what you've seen or heard or read, nothing compares to playing this thing from beginning to end. It's a video game. You've gotta play it."

Start clearing out some room on your storage: The Last of Us 2 file size confirms it will be the biggest PS4 exclusive yet.

Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar.