Digital version of The Last of Us will be playable during download

Sony seems to be pushing a lot to promote its digital distribution platform on the PlayStation 3. According to GameInformer, Naughty Dog’s adventure-survival game The Last of Us will see a simultaneous release in retail as well as on the PlayStation 4 on July 14. Sony has also made special accommodations for the game’s launch.

Naughty Dog’s Creative Director Neil Druckman and The Last of Us Game Director Bruce Stanley have stated that the game won’t have to be fully downloaded to be playable. The game can be played once the download has hit 50 percent. This is a taste of what Sony has promised for the PlayStation 4, which, according to Sony, will have the ability to play games almost instantly while they download in the background.

What Sony is doing might be considered by some as witchcraft

This is very similar to the techniques employed by Blizzard for its games, namely World of Warcraft, StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3. When downloading any of these games, the games’ downloaders first download the most essential files, namely the base of the game, and allow you to play after the first few GBs have finished downloading. Though not exactly the best way to play the game because of incomplete textures or missing models, the game is still playable and lets players get into the game as soon as possible.

Back in December, Naughty Dog introduced a new character in The Last of Us. Tess, the partner of the main character Joel, is described as strong, smart and street savvy. She is going to be a pivotal character in the world of The Last of Us. She is voiced by Annie Wersching of 24 fame.

Naughty Dog had also let it slip that the game will feature multiplayer. Pre-ordering the game will get you the Sights and Sounds pack, which includes the official soundtrack of the game, a dynamic theme for the PlayStation 3 featuring the cover art, and two avatars for your PSN profile—Winter Joel and Winter Ellie.