The Last of Us 2 director Neil Druckmann has shared anti-Semitic messages, threats, and harassment he has received following the launch of the PS4 sequel. The Naughty Dog Vice President revealed how many of the messages he’s received about TLoU2 have been “vile, hateful, and violent,” showing a selection of the vitriol he’s been subjected to after the game’s release.
The messages include a Twitter user referring to the director as a “stupid f***ing k**e rat,” another which says they hope “covid 19 kills your whole toxic feminist studio,” and various other racist and threatening images and messages.
You can love or hate the game and share your thoughts about it. Unfortunately too many of the messages I've been getting are vile, hateful, & violent. Here are just a handful of them (feel it's important to expose.) Trigger Warning: transphobic, homophobic, anti-Semitic, etc. pic.twitter.com/uR9vpGgYQa
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) July 5, 2020
The Last of Us 2 has been a controversial game since its high-profile leaks, which saw individuals who hadn’t played it immediately judging it based on out-of-context moments lifted from its story. The game’s inclusion of a diverse cast of characters prompted a wave of backlash, resulting in hateful comments being sent to those who worked on the game.
Druckmann’s comments come in the wake of voice actor Laura Bailey sharing threats she had received due to her involvement in The Last of Us 2. Bailey, who portrays Ellie in the sequel, posted screenshots that included violent threats made to both her and her child.
Man. I try to only post positive stuff on here… but sometimes this just gets a little overwhelming. I blacked out some of the words cuz, ya know, spoilers.
Side note. Thank you to all the people sending me positive messages to balance it out. It means more than I can say.❤️ pic.twitter.com/kGyULWPpNu
— Laura Bailey (@LauraBaileyVO) July 3, 2020
The vehement reaction to The Last of Us 2 has not affected the game’s sales. The sequel reached 4 million copies sold in just 3 days of going on sale, while also beating Uncharted 4 in the UK as the fastest-selling PS4 exclusive yet.
