Sony has previewed one of its most anticipated PlayStation games with a trailer that shifted focus from two women kissing to a hanging man being disemboweled in its opening minutes.

The Last of Us Part II is the follow-up to one of the top-reviewed and most awarded games of the PlayStation 3 generation.

Gameplay footage made clear the sequel will be at least as bloody as its predecessor.

However, no launch date was given.

Initial reactions to the title from industry watchers were mostly positive, although one games reviewer remarked that the title was “fetishising extreme violence”.

Sony has sold more than 76 million PlayStation 4 consoles to date, according to research firm IHS Markit.

That represents nearly twice as many units as Microsoft’s Xbox One, although it is still some way behind the PlayStation 2’s tally of nearly 158 million.

Many believe the Japanese firm’s success has been driven by the popularity of its in-house exclusives including Uncharted 4, Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War.

However, Microsoft now boasts having the more powerful games machine in the Xbox One X and has just announced it has acquired and created several games studios.

“A strong first-party library is what convinces people to buy your box over someone else’s, and this generation of consoles has hammered home that is still true,” commented Laura Dale, news editor of the Kotaku UK news site.

“The PlayStation 4 has had frequent, high-quality first-party exclusives – which is something the Xbox One has not had.

“So, Sony goes into this E3 with everything to lose in the sense that it is in a strong position, but Microsoft did have a very good showing on Sunday.”

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