[The bad news is that the PC version of "The Last of Us Part 1" (opens in new tab), which was supposed to be released on March 3, has been delayed. The good news is that it will now be released on March 28, a short delay of only a few weeks for such a thing.

Believe it or not, the popularity of the HBO show (opens in new tab) seems to be at least partly responsible for this postponement.

"We are thrilled every day to hear about your love for the HBO adaptation, to see your beautiful photomode shots, and to know that the world and characters our studio created nearly a decade ago continue to reach fans new and old! With "The Last of Us Part 1" now available on PlayStation 5, we know that many of you are re-experiencing the story that started it all.

"That's why we want to make sure the PC debut of The Last of Us Part 1 is the best it can possibly be. Over the next few weeks, we will do everything in our power to ensure that "The Last of Us" PC version lives up to your expectations and ours. We are very excited to bring 'The Last of Us Part 1' to a new platform and bring Joel and Ellie's unforgettable story of survival to new and returning players alike." Stay tuned for the PC release on March 28.

This is an odd statement. It is one thing to say that the team needed more time than expected to get things right, but it is quite another to imply that they were ready to slam the door in any half-assed way until the TV show hit. I can't decide if this is pure irony or cruel honesty: is Naughty Dog camouflaging its development headache with a warm cloak of boundless love for its fans, or is it just admitting that it's really trying because everyone is paying attention?

There's a third possibility, and I'm hoping it's this: having seen that episode 3 of the HBO show was a huge success and went deep into Bill and Frank's relationship (opens in new tab) (something not explored in the game), Naughty Dog embraces their story as canon They are expanding the narrative in order to ... I know three weeks is not enough time to make big, meaningful changes, but I'm putting it out there because I think it should happen.

Whatever it is, March 28th is the big day, and the PC version of The Last of Us is currently available for pre-order on Steam (open in new tab) and the Epic Games Store (open in new tab), both of which currently have a March 3 release date.