The mystery of this week's leak of The Last of Us Part 2 footage gained new clarity this morning. In a report from GamesIndustry.biz, Sony stated that it has identified the individuals responsible for leaking the game's content, and that they are not employees of Naughty Dog or Sony Interactive Entertainment.
This information changes the context of the leaked footage. After word of the leak began spreading Monday, rumors began to circulate that a studio employee or contractor had leaked the footage in retaliation for harsh working conditions at Naughty Dog (or depending on your preferred conspiracy theory, out of anger for the game's inclusion of gay characters).
However, if the leak originated from outside the company, those rumored motivations may be moot. Whoever leaked the game's content didn't exactly leave a mission statement.
The leak of The Last of Us Part 2 comes after the game's release was pushed back to June due to the spread of COVID-19. Sony, like many other developers, was forced to send employees home for their health and safety, creating a development environment that may not have been as secure as work done in a physical studio.