Naughty Dog is back at it again and announced their upcoming game at The Game Awards – the reaction to Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet wasn't all that good, though.
Naughty Dog, the studio behind great franchises like The Last of Us, Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted, has revealed their new game at The Game Awards – to a lukewarm reception online.
They go sci-fi with their upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and revealed a 4-minute trailer, introducing Jordan – a bounty hunter stranded on a distant planet, fighting robot-like creatures with a sword suspiciously reminiscent of a lightsaber. The Star Wars-esque setting isn't the cause for an online uproar, though, it's worse: Jordan has committed a mortal sin. As a woman, she shaves her head in the first few seconds of the trailer. Grab your torches, anti-woke content army!
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet – What's the problem, again?
Naughty Dog's announcement trailer doesn't give too much away, except that Jordan is in space with her ship (hilariously, it's a Porsche), but the mere fact that we've got a female protagonist with a rather unconventional look was enough for a collective meltdown in the comments on YouTube. So much so, in fact, Naughty Dog had to turn off the comments – not a good first impression, alright.
PlayStation's account didn't, though, but the main consensus doesn't look that much better – the comments are still good for a laugh if you don't take it too seriously.
I feel like Will Smith will slap me for making fun of her.
They sell hair as a separate dlc
That Dog isn’t Naughty anymore
You see, those comments don't really go into the game itself – people mostly complain about Jordan's appearance and the fact that most people who made games like Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted, Jak and Daxter or The Last of Us aren't even with Naughty Dog anymore (fair point), but the studio still brags about those massive hits.
The announcement trailer sparked the discussion about "going woke" again in the video game industry – the fact that Ciri will take over from Geralt in The Witcher 4 didn't help, and there are corners of the internet where the mere thought of having to play as a woman is the worst thing in the world. Or, second worst: having to play as a woman with a shaved head definitely takes the cake.
Naughty Dog has faced harsh criticism for their choice of protagonists with The Last of Us Part 2 already, but they obviously want to stay the course. Certainly a choice after all the backlash – some of it absolutely justified, some of it rather nitpicky.
Intergalactic will still take some time
When exactly we'll get to meet Jordan ourselves remains to be seen as Naughty Dog couldn't share a release date just yet. The only thing that's sure so far is that it'll be a PlayStation 5 exclusive – the past has shown that PC gamers will get their chance to play the game as well, but it'll take even more time.
As the initial reception wasn't the best – to put it lightly – a majority of PC gamers won't be too sad about that fact, though. But for those of you who haven't jumped ship yet, here's what's awaiting you:
The Heretic Prophet is the newest franchise in development for the PlayStation 5 console from Naughty Dog, the studio behind acclaimed series like The Last of Us and UNCHARTED. Set thousands of years in the future, Intergalactic puts players into the role of Jordan A. Mun, a dangerous bounty hunter who ends up stranded on Sempiria – a distant planet whose communication with the outside universe went dark hundreds of years ago. Jordan will have to use all her skills and wits if she hopes to be the first person in over 600 years to leave its orbit.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Will you be playing the game or did Naughty Dog shoot for the stars with this one and still miss? Let us know in the comments! But please keep in mind: it's just a game. Let's keep it civil – but we're all for respectful discussions!