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Further compounding the suspicion, The Last of Us Part II review copies—early versions provided to critics—are reportedly nowhere to be found. According to industry insider Upper Echelon Gaming, review code distribution is typically sent out 1 to 2 weeks before release, but in this case, review copies supposedly went out five weeks prior—an unprecedented timeline.
When Upper Echelon Gaming reached out to contacts in the industry, nobody reported receiving an official review copy of The Last of Us Part II. This lack of early reviews from critics supports the theory that the massive number of perfect ratings is not rooted in genuine user experience.