Hackers leaked story details for Naughty Dog's forthcoming title The Last of Us Part II.

As confirmed on Twitter (below), via former Kotaku editor Jason Schreier, a "security vulnerability" was found and used to Naughty Dog's servers.

"Ok: After talking to two people with direct knowledge of how TLOU2 leaked as well as some Naughty Dog employees, I have a good idea of what happened," said Schreier

"Short version: hackers found a security vulnerability in a patch for an older ND game and used it to get access to ND's servers."

At first, it was rumoured that a disgruntled Naughty Dog contractor leaked the footage as a result of not being paid. Schreier has confirmed this to be false.

"I think the footage that leaked is from devs playing an early build (I haven't watched it)," said Schreier.

"Most importantly, rumours of this being an act of protest by a contractor whose pay was robbed are not true. (ND actually extended pay and healthcare benefits for contractors due to COVID)."

The leaks come as a major blow to Naughty Dog and Sony; they contain significant spoilers for the game and have received a negative reaction from fans. However, the apocalyptic-survival title is still set to launch exclusively on PS4 on June 19th.

In January, a new job listing for ND hinted at a possible PC release for the much-anticipated sequel. On top of this, Ellie and Joel's adventure is set to be made into an HBO TV show.

OK: After talking to two people with direct knowledge of how TLOU2 leaked as well as some Naughty Dog employees, I have a good idea of what happened. Short version: hackers found a security vulnerability in a patch for an older ND game and used it to get access to ND’s servers.

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 3, 2020