Seven years after the release of the original, The Last of Us Part II is finally out now on PlayStation 4, and it's reviewing well (here's GameSpot's take). Even before release, writer-director Neil Druckmann acknowledged that some fans of the first game would dislike the sequel, and now that the game is out, he's responded to some of the internet hate. This includes violent threats directed against Laura Bailey, the voice actor of Abby, and the company as a whole has now issued a response.

　　In a Twitter post on July 5, Naughty Dog said it welcomed criticism but condemned "any form of harassment or threats" directed toward both actors on the project as well as developers.

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　Firearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023

　　State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Tianyou Zhao Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Seonhee Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto HD High Low

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter

　　Now Playing: The Last Of Us Part II Video Review

　　Although we welcome critical discussion, we condemn any form of harassment or threats directed towards our team and cast. Their safety is our top priority, but we must all work together to root out this type of behavior and maintain a constructive and compassionate discourse. pic.twitter.com/eoq4t1ITnh

　　— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) July 5, 2020

　　Speaking on former Nintendo boss Reggie Fils-Aime's podcast, Druckmann said it's worthless to fight against people when they share their opinions about a game--whether it be good or bad. However, Druckmann said he can't understand how people get so worked up and upset about fictional characters.

　　"I think you have to create some separation to say, we made this game, we believe in this game, we're proud of this game, now it's out there and it's like whatever reaction people have--whether they like it or not--that's fair," Druckmann said. "That's their reaction and you don't fight that. The other thing with the more hateful stuff, the more vile stuff, that's a little harder. It's especially harder when I see it happening to team members or cast members who play a particular character in the game."

　　"We have an actor, she's been getting really awful, vile stuff because of a fictional character she's playing in the game," Druckmann added. "I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around that. The thing I try to do is just ignore it as much as I can. When things escalate to being serious, there are certain security protocols that we take and I report it to the proper authorities. Then you just try to focus on the positives and focus on distracting yourself with other stuff. But it's kind of just the reality."

　　GameSpot Newsletters

　　Get the latest gaming news, reviews, and deals sent to your inbox, FREE!

　　Sign Up

　　Sign Up

　　By signing up to receive newsletters, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

　　Thanks for signing up

　　Also in the interview, Druckmann said he's been speaking with Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin about this topic. They are currently working together on the HBO TV version of The Last of Us.

　　"I've had a lot of conversations with him about this stuff. He articulated it pretty well, it's like people have to get educated. This is kind of the cost. When you're doing something big, and you might disappoint fans, there is a cost to it now," Druckmann said. "Which is, you're going to get a certain level of hate, a certain level of vitriol that you just have to deal with. There is no other way to make it go away."

　　Despite some portion of the audience disliking The Last of Us Part II, it didn't appear to affect the early sales at all, as it outsold the previous game by a significant margin and even beat the sales of Uncharted 4. In fact, the game broke PlayStation's sales records with 4 million copies sold in its first three days.