- Former Naughty Dog artist Heather Cerlan revealed that the controversial death in The last of us part 2 was internally divided
- Cerlan says the studio was “split” on the decision
- The death was hugely controversial among fans back 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 was also a divisive element in the study.
If you have played The last of us sequel, you will know that Joel Miller, the protagonist of the first game, is brutally killed by Abby Anderson in a revenge act at the beginning of the story.
At the time of the game’s release in 2020, Joel’s death caused a huge uproar among fans, with many hating the decision. Others praised the bold move for subverting expectations and delivering one hell of an emotional journey for Ellie.
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Now, in a lengthy interview with Kiwi Talkz, Heather Cerlan, who worked as an artist on The last of us, The last of us part 2, Uncharted 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, ‘do you really want to?…'” Cerlan said before trailing off to avoid spoilers.
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“I think the studio was pretty split on the outcome of what’s going on,” she continued. “Yes, absolutely. It was also controversial internally.”
Joel’s death was also leaked prior to the game’s official release, leading to online abuse and death threats sent to Abby’s actress, Laura Bailey, and her newborn son.
Bailey later opened up about the abuse she received in Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part 2.
“Every time I went online, that’s all I saw. Death threats and threats of violence and the worst of it, the really harsh death threats came through and they [the police] made sure they weren’t someone who lived nearby, Bailey said at the time.
“They threatened my son, who was born during the whole thing, and yes, it was tough. But you know, more than anything, it kind of taught me to keep my distance.”
Naughty Dog is currently working on Intergalactic: The Heretical 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 like Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker received back in 2020 and that director Neil Druckmann had prepared her for a similar situation.
“Neil bootcamped me,” 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 that I was a woman, that I was a woman of color, that I shaved my head, all these things that I actually didn’t even see at first — I’m out of the social media zeitgeist for that reason — but when I did, Neil was like, ‘Ignore it.’ No matter what, me and you, we’re going to do something, we’re going to make something beautiful out of it.”
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