The unveiling of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards generated immediate buzz, but this quickly morphed into widespread criticism.
The core of the controversy revolved around the game's protagonist and central theme, which some viewers felt promoted a specific "agenda."
Statements from Neil Druckmann and Tati Gabriel, intended to quell the backlash, only intensified the controversy.
Even after 17 days, the negative reaction persists. The announcement trailer sparked a highly polarized response, accumulating a significant number of dislikes on YouTube. On the official PlayStation channel, dislikes surpassed 260,000, dwarfing the 90,000 likes. The Naughty Dog channel fared no better, with over 170,000 dislikes outnumbering the 70,000 likes. Comment sections were subsequently disabled, yet the debate continues to rage across social media platforms.
However, the game's future remains uncertain. Naughty Dog's history demonstrates a capacity to transform initial criticism into triumph. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet still has the potential to defy expectations.
This incident underscores a major challenge for large game studios: navigating the increasingly demanding expectations of their audience.
