- Former Naughty Dog artist Heather Cerlan revealed that the controversial death in The last of us part 2 It was internally divisive.
- Cerlan says the studio was “divided” by the decision
- The death was highly controversial among fans in 2020.
Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Part 2
A former Naughty Dog developer has revealed that the controversial death in The last of us part 2 It was also a divisive element within the studio.
if you have played the last of us sequel, you will learn that Joel Miller, the protagonist of the first game, is brutally murdered by Abby Anderson in an act of revenge at the beginning of the story.
At the time of the game’s release in 2020, Joel’s death caused quite a stir among fans, with many hating the decision. Others praised the bold move for subverting expectations and delivering a hugely emotional journey for Ellie.
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Now, in a long interview with Kiwi Talkz, Heather Cerlan, who worked as an artist on the last of us, The last of us part 2, Unexplored 4and The lost legacyconfirmed that the death was as controversial at Naughty Dog as it was among fans.
“Oh yeah, most of the studio was like, ‘Are you really going to do it?…'” Cerlan said, before pausing to avoid spoilers.
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“I think the study was pretty divided on the outcome of what happens,” he continued. “Yes, absolutely. It was also controversial internally.”
Joel’s death was also leaked before the game’s official release, leading to online abuse and death threats against Abby actress Laura Bailey and her newborn son.
Bailey later spoke out about the abuse she received in Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part 2.
“Every time I logged on, that’s all I saw. Death threats and threats of violence, and worst of all, the really harsh death threats would happen and [the police] “I made sure it wasn’t anyone who lived nearby,” Bailey said at the time.
“They were threatening my son, who was born during all of that, and yes, it was hard. But, you know, more than anything, it taught me to keep my distance.”
Naughty Dog is currently working on Intergalactic: the heretic prophet. The game’s star, Tati Gabrielle, shared in an interview last year that she was aware of the hate. The Last of Us: Part 2 Cast members including Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker received in 2020, and that director Neil Druckmann had been preparing her for a similar situation.
“Neil has been giving me training classes,” Gabrielle said. “I know Troy’s experience, I know Ashley’s experience… I know Laura Bailey’s experience.
“I got a lot of love, but there was a lot of hate for being a woman, for being a woman of color, for having a shaved head, all these things that I didn’t even see initially (I’m out of the social media zeitgeist for that reason), but once I did, Neil said, ‘Ignore it. No matter what, you and I, we’re going to make something beautiful. We’re going to make something we’re proud of.'”
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