Summary
- Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet star Tati Gabrielle is being trained by director Neil Druckmann to "ignore" online hate for her role as protagonist Jordan A. Mun.
- Naughty Dog faced immense backlash for certain creative decisions in The Last of Us Part 2, including death threats to Druckmann, the devs, and the game's voice actors.
- Druckmann previously confirmed that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet's story will center around faith and religion.
Tati Gabrielle, the star of Naughty Dog's upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, is being trained by director Neil Druckmann to deal with online hate and negativity. Naughty Dog's last big release - The Last of Us Part 2 - stands as one of the most divisive games in history, and the studio seems to be preparing for a likely inevitable backlash to Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as well.
Following its impressive reveal at The Game Awards 2024, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet quickly secured a spot on many PlayStation fans' wishlists. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is a brand-new sci-fi adventure from Naughty Dog, set in an alternate 1980s timeline with cool real-world references and anime inspirations. While the game's concept and world-building impressed many, some responses echoed the controversy Naughty Dog faced with 2020's The Last of Us Part 2, which drew massive online harassment towards the devs, Neil Druckmann, and Abby voice actor Laura Bailey - including personal attacks and even death threats.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Could Still Take Heavy Inspiration from The Last of Us
Intergalactic may differ greatly from The Last of Us, but a fun piece of the latter's lore could ultimately inspire the former.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is attracting vitriol, particularly over protagonist Jordan A. Mun, played by Tati Gabrielle. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gabrielle revealed she's received hate online for being a woman, a woman of color, and for her shaved head, all stemming from her portrayal of Jordan in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. While Gabrielle tried to avoid the negativity by staying off social media, she said Druckmann has been personally preparing her for the emotional toll once Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is out. "Neil's been bootcamp-ing me," Gabrielle said. "I know Troy's experience, I know Ashley's experience... I know Laura Bailey's experience."
Neil Druckmann Coaching Intergalactic Lead Actress to "Ignore" Haters and Trolls Online
Druckmann also affirmed to Gabrielle, "We're going to make something beautiful. We're going to make something we're proud of," in reference to Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The sci-fi game has been in development for nearly five years and is currently playable internally at Naughty Dog. In a prior discussion with 28 Days Later writer Alex Garland, Druckmann described Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet's story as deeply explorative of faith and religion, which certainly aren't very tame topics to discuss these days.
Interestingly, Druckmann himself doesn't seem too concerned with any negative reactions to Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. When discussing the game's story and the potential controversy it could incite, Garland said "Who gives a sh*t?," to which Druckmann said "Exactly." Only time will tell whether Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet ends up being as divisive as The Last of Us Part 2, but it'll likely be a while until Naughty Dog speaks up about the game again. As it stands, the chances of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet launching before 2027 appear quite slim.
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
