A possible release date for "The Last of Us 2" might not be ready to be released until 2017 at the earliest.

Game developer Naughty Dog is focusing all of its energy right now on "Uncharted 4" and that game is not due out until the spring of 2016,  which means that "The Last of Us 2" is likely not coming out that year as well, according to Game Rant.

A more probable release window for "The Last of Us 2" is 2017, although it could be delayed further than that.

However, there have been some interesting developments regarding the game recently.

Naughty Dog may have unwittingly and almost certainly accidentally let the word slip on the existence of "The Last of Us 2." 

The apparent slip happened during a livestream event for "Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection," according to Gamepur.

While Naughty Dog Community Strategist Eric Monacelli, Lead Animator Eric Baldwin and writer Josh Scherr were talking about "Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection," one of them made an apparent gaffe.

Scherr could clearly be heard saying the words "the first The Last of Us." He then apparently catches himself saying something he shouldn't have.

After Scherr's apparent mistake, he then becomes visibly flustered and he also begins to repeat the same words over and over again as he spoke, according to IGN.

If Scherr's actions and verbal gaffe are any indicators, then that could very well mean that his reference to "the first The Last of Us" is also a hint that "The Last of Us 2" is already in the works.

Unsurprisingly, Naughty Dog still stopped short of confirming "The Last of Us 2" at the event.

Scherr's gaffe is just the latest example of murmurs and hints that a sequel to the popular game is indeed in the works.

Earlier on in the year, voice actor Nolan North revealed that he believes Naughty Dog is indeed working on "The Last of Us 2."

More news about the game is expected by next year.