Will controversy around The Last of Us: Part II affect the HBO series?
As The Last of Us: Part II nears its PS4 release, the audience divide ramps up. Will this cripple the HBO prequel later this year?
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Gamers and non-gamers alike have probably heard about the controversy surrounding The Last of Us: Part II and its developer, Naughty Dog. Unlike most other gaming news, however, this situation may have consequences that transcend its medium. After all, there’s a TV series riding on this property.
A sequel to the acclaimed 2013 game, The Last of Us: Part II continues the story of rugged drifter Joel and his surrogate daughter, Ellie, as they struggle to survive in a world ravaged by a fungal-based zombie apocalypse. Upon its reveal, it became one of the most anticipated games of the year, so it was hardly surprising when HBO announced a prequel TV show that would air within the Fall 2020 season.
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Unfortunately, the once-hyped game has since garnered a ton of bad press due to various inside practices and questionable narrative decisions. The most major blow came with a slew of leaks supposedly unveiled by a disgruntled employee. Not only were major cutscenes and set pieces uploaded to YouTube, but virtually the entire plot and structure of the game were laid out in a forum post.
The employee in question apparently leaked this content due to the immense pressure that Naughty Dog puts its low-level workers through with little to no payment, especially during “crunch time” or the weeks leading up to a game’s release. Many gamers stood with this employee and understood where he was coming from. Given Naughty Dog’s increasingly public reputation for intense crunch, it was easy to believe the scenario outlined here. It also didn’t take much to sympathize with the worker’s plight due to the coronavirus preventing countless people from earning income.
However, information has since come out that Sony, the game’s publisher, has identified the leaker. Rather than a disgruntled employee, we are now being told that it was the work of hackers. Despite this issue seemingly being dealt with, the damage has already been done to Naughty Dog as a workplace, as a greater light has been shined on their staff treatment. Gamers might be hesitant to buy a non-essential product when the misery behind its creation is public knowledge.
Trouble at the top
On top of that, an arguably more divisive issue still permeates the game: politics. More and more reports are surfacing about writer-director Neil Druckmann’s behavior and political agenda, and audiences are afraid that he’ll ruin what he established in the first game by forcing his own beliefs into the equation. Without going into specifics, certain story beats described in the leaks have angered fans, who feel that the characters, themes, and legacy of the first entry have been disrespected beyond repair. Considering these aspects were among the most popular strengths of The Last of Us, undermining them in the sequel seems counterproductive to both profit and audience goodwill.
Many think that these creative decisions are indicative of Druckmann’s personal ideology compromising the integrity of the work. The phrase “Get Woke, Go Broke” is frequently tossed around in regard to this. It refers to creators’ attempts to be more politically correct and overtly left-leaning in their products. Fans often lambaste this approach for sacrificing beloved characters or radically changing the plot, seemingly opting for political brownie points over what’s best for the story. One example that people have honed in on with the aforementioned leaks is the act of tearing down male characters for the sake of bolstering female ones or those of differing sexual orientations.
Druckmann recently came under fire for similar reasons with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, in which he took over writing and directorial duties from series creator Amy Hennig. In this game, franchise hero and roguish adventurer Nathan Drake is repeatedly defeated in fistfights by mercenary Nadine Ross. In addition, for the game’s epilogue, the creators scrapped the original ending with Nate’s son and gave him a daughter instead. When a focus tester expressed disdain for these decisions, Druckmann fired him on the grounds of sexism. On top of the political ramifications, this may lend further credence to the above report of employee mistreatment at Naughty Dog.
Perhaps most controversial is Druckmann’s public friendship with feminist commentator Anita Sarkeesian, one of the most divisive figures in modern gaming due to her critiques on sexism in video games, which have been frequently called out as unfounded and ignorant by detractors since she doesn’t actually play video games. Some people think that she’s a martyr and a victim of online misogyny while others believe she’s a disingenuous hack. Either way, the fact that Druckmann is associated with her—reportedly, she even helped to shape the story for The Last of Us: Part II—is baggage that Naughty Dog and HBO may not be able to afford.
Politics poisoning the profit
The prominence of these political factors could affect the TV show more directly. After all, Druckmann himself is one of the showrunners. If charged information like this continues to surround him or if he dials up his ideological influence in crafting the series, then it could generate the type of inflammatory word of mouth that producers would much rather avoid.
Shows which prioritize “wokeness” in their marketing and storytelling, such as Batwoman, Dear White People, Star Trek: Picard, and HBO’s own Watchmen, have already sparked a slew of arguments from viewers. Add to this the pattern of underperformance that “woke” movies tend to follow, with examples including the Wrinkle in Time remake, the all-female Ghostbusters, Terminator: Dark Fate, Elizabeth Banks’s version of Charlie’s Angels, and this year’s Birds of Prey.
Granted, Captain Marvel was successful despite its heavily politicized marketing, but many attributed this to the profitability of the Marvel brand and the fact that the film was released between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. A more appropriate counterpoint would be Wonder Woman, a female-focused film that mostly kept exclusionary politics out of the equation and became a critical and commercial hit.
Similarly, in the realm of gaming, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi title, Horizon Zero Dawn, featured a female hero without drawing political attention to that aspect, and it went on to be one of the best-selling titles on the PlayStation 4. On the flip side lies Battlefield V, a first-person shooter which showed a female soldier with a cybernetic arm on the frontlines during WWII. Players predictably slammed the creators to placing their political agenda over historical accuracy. Publisher EA Games’s Patrick Söderlund told these detractors, “Don’t buy the game.” As a result, the title sold less than half the copies of its predecessor.
Will The Last of Us franchise end in failure?
Whether you attribute these examples to a vocal minority spreading the word, the “Get Woke, Go Broke” crowd being large enough to impact sales, the name-calling conflict from both sides of the aisle poisoning the landscape, or audiences simply being fed up with having politics shoved down their throats, it’s difficult to deny that operating under this blatantly political mindset divides the consumer base. The revenue suffers in turn. With their reputation already on shaky ground, the last thing these producers need before releasing two interconnected projects is a partisan Twitter war. That is the way to a financial bomb on both fronts.
Granted, much of this is purely speculation. The landscape could completely change when The Last of Us: Part II comes out. For all we know, the game could be beloved by all parties, make a ton of money, and generate renewed excitement for the TV show. At the moment, though, things are not looking good for this release or its HBO companion. Considering the oversaturated zombie market, the Last of Us TV show needs fans of the game. If this audience abandons the property, then all that’s left will be the uninitiated, who might not be enough. After all, why would a layman tune in to this instead of the countless other post-apocalyptic tales involving the undead?
Are you excited for The Last of Us: Part II or the HBO prequel? What do you think of this whole situation? Do you believe the franchise will survive?
The Last of Us is currently available for download on PlayStation Store or at various retail outlets, such as Amazon or Walmart.