Marvel's Spider-Man 2 's personnel and The Last of Us Part II's team members have become targets of online harassment and violent threats from fans. Read on to learn about what the affected people have to say regarding the situation.
Death Threats Run Rampant for Teams Behind Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and The Last of Us Part II
Spider-Man 2's Community Manager Receives "Violent Threats" Amid Highly-Anticipated Game Update
Insomniac Games faced online harassment over Spider-Man 2's updates. Studio members behind the game took to social media to address online harassment and violent threats from fans demanding new content.
On Twitter (X), Insomniac's senior community manager, Aaron Jason Espinoza, criticized the "childish" behavior of gamers resorting to violent threats against the development team. "Sending violent threats to game developers over game development things is childish and just plain f***ing stupid," read their tweet.
Insomniac's community and marketing director, James Stevenson, supported their co-worker's statements, emphasizing that the development team is aware of fan expectations and is working diligently to deliver new content. "Don't do this. We know you want updates and info. We're working to get things to you as fast as we can, given the extraordinary circumstances our team has faced," said Stevenson.
Insomniac faced a cyber attack in 2023 that resulted in the the leak of sensitive information, including game road maps, budgets, gameplay footage, and personal details of staff from HR documents. The breach exacerbated the challenges of the studio, and its team urged fans to be patient as they navigate through the difficulties and work towards meeting player expectations.
TLOU2's President and Abby VA Receive Death Threats Over Narrative and Fictional Character
Laura Bailey, the actress who portrayed Abby in The Last of Us Part 2, revealed in the documentary "Grounded II: The Making of The Last of Us Part II" that she received disturbing messages and death threats from fans of the game.
The actress described the relentless nature of the threats, saying, "Every time I went online, it was just, that’s all I saw… just death threats and threats of violence and… The worst of it, the really hardcore death threats got passed along, and they made sure that they weren’t anyone who lived close by.”
The threats extended to her infant son, born during the period of online backlash. "They were threatening my son who was born during all of it and yeah, it was rough." The actress mentioned that the experience taught her to keep a distance from such interactions online.
The horrid display was not limited to Bailey alone. Additionally, Neil Druckmann, the president of Naughty Dog, the studio behind TLOU2, received death threats and anti-Semitic messages following the game being leaked days before its official release in 2020. The leaked content triggered widespread online outrage and debates about the narrative choices made in the game.
"I’m bombarded with hundreds of negative comments, death threats, anti-Semitic comments. It’s putting me in a deep depression," shared Druckmann in the documentary. TLOU2 co-writer Halley Gross also commented on the vitriol among fans, saying, "There's some stupid stuff like, 'You're a feminazi, you're... whatever sh*t like that,' but some stuff was really disturbing."
The remastered version of The Last of Us Part 2 also bore the brunt of negative criticism, with fans expressing divided opinions on the decision to release a remaster. Matthew Gallant, the Game Director for The Last of Us Part II Remastered, responded to the criticism in an interview, stating, "We're excited we can bring this to the fans, and if it’s not for everyone, that’s fine."
Source:
The Last Of Us Part II Abby actor claims fans threatened her child
The Last Of Us Part II Actor Says Fans Threatened Her Son
Spider-Man 2 Devs Getting 'Violent Threats'
