‘The Last of Us Part 2’ release date, gameplay: Co-director denies hinting at zero loading screens on PS5

There was a pre-Christmas confusion online regarding the gameplay of “The Last of Us Part 2.” A rumor emerged, suggesting that it might not have loading screens once it launches on PlayStation 5. But a follow-up tweet from co-game director Kurt Margenau explains why loading screens technically would not exist even on PS4.

‘The Last of Us Part 2’: Will there be loading screens?

It all started when independent video game maker Rami Ismail asked fellow developers what other information would they include in the loading screens if given the chance. Margenau jokingly replied, “What’s a loading screen?”

It rapidly started rumors that he was referring to “The Last of Us Part 2,” having no loading screens once it is released on PS5. But Margenau insisted in a follow-up tweet that he was not talking about Sony’s next-generation console saying, “My tweet was clearly a flex that ... [Naughty Dog] games don’t have loading screens.”

The developer said that when players die in “Uncharted,” they briefly see a black screen before immediately going back to the game. But they were not able to do that in “The Last of Us,” given the more violent ways to get killed in Joel and Ellie’s world.

This resulted in what Margenau calls “artificial death screens” that are likely part of the “The Last of Us Part 2” gameplay as well once it launches on PS4 next year. They look very much like loading screens because this is where players are redirected after they die. Pressing X on the controller will bring them back to the game. The so-called death screens are not actual loading screens because, as Margenau explained further, “We aren’t loading anything underneath, it’s just so you can breathe for a second.”

‘The Last of Us Part 2’ gameplay, release date

In-game deaths are not the only time loading screens go up, though. It appears when a player is opening a new game, a level, or on fast travels. Many variables affect the duration of loading screens’ appearances, and spending several minutes staring into it has become a usual experience.

However, when Sony previewed PS5 earlier this year, the company stressed the importance of having SSD in changing gamers’ loading screens experience. Whether Margenau’s non-confirmation would become a reality might not be confirmed for some time, though. “The Last of Us Part 2” will be released on May 29 exclusively on PS4, but PS5 is confirmed to arrive in stores in late 2020.