Naughty Dog’s New Character Is Already Being Hated

Some games can make headlines just with their trailers before they are even released. This is exactly the case for Naughty Dog‘s new project Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Tati Gabrielle, who will play the lead role in the game, faced criticism on social media, especially regarding her gender, skin color, and hairstyle when her character was first introduced in the trailer in December 2024. This process is reminiscent of the discussions that took place with The Last of Us Part II in 2020, and it seems that the studio may have to deal with the same pressures once again.

Naughty Dog and Gabrielle Are Prepared for Backlash

Gabrielle spoke openly about what happened in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Although she received positive reactions after the trailer, she stated that a serious wave of hatred started towards her as soon as the cast was announced. The actress said, “Being a woman, being a woman of color, having a shaved head… All of these negative comments came because of me. I didn’t notice them at first because I stay away from social media, but I was surprised when I saw them.”

The head of the studio, Neil Druckmann, gave direct support to the actress. Gabrielle said, “Neil told me, ‘Don’t worry about any of them. We’re going to do something we’re proud of together,’” and conveyed that the team went through this process together. It was also stated that Druckmann informed the actress in advance and prepared her against similar situations experienced in previous projects.

Another incident Gabrielle referred to was what happened to Laura Bailey, who played the character Abby in The Last of Us Part II. Bailey received serious threats at the time because of her character, and even her family became a target. Gabrielle openly stated that she stepped into this project knowing that similar hatred could happen again.

Tati Gabrielle, who previously appeared in the Uncharted film and currently plays the character Nora in HBO’s The Last of Us series, has further strengthened her bond with Naughty Dog. The actress stated that she was very excited to be involved in this project and believes that Intergalactic will be one of the notable productions in the gaming world. However, it seems that this time, it is not just the game but also the controversy surrounding it that will be talked about for a long time.

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