In what's become an all-too-familiar story over the last few years, Naughty Dog publicly condemned the abuse and harassment waged against the voice actors and developers of the video game The Last of Us Part II. The game, released in a flurry of controversy over several story leaks from months prior, divided fans of the series, inspiring some to send death threats and bigotted messages to various members of the production.

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

Over the past month, Neil Druckmann, the co-lead writer on the game, and voice actor Laura Bailey, who plays the main character Abby, reported a series of death threats and anti-semitic, homophobic and transphobic remarks from players on Twitter. Druckmann, who is Jewish, posted a series of such messages, which contained anti-Semitic epithets as well as images of the Happy Merchant, a well-known anti-Semitic meme. Bailey, too, received death threats against her and her children.

You can love or hate the game and share your thoughts about it. Unfortunately too many of the messages I've been getting are vile, hateful, & violent. Here are just a handful of them (feel it's important to expose.) Trigger Warning: transphobic, homophobic, anti-Semitic, etc. pic.twitter.com/uR9vpGgYQa

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) July 5, 2020

Man. I try to only post positive stuff on here… but sometimes this just gets a little overwhelming. I blacked out some of the words cuz, ya know, spoilers.

Side note. Thank you to all the people sending me positive messages to balance it out. It means more than I can say.❤️ pic.twitter.com/kGyULWPpNu

— Laura Bailey (@LauraBaileyVO) July 3, 2020

Druckmann responded to Bailey's tweet by stating that the abuse was "the cost of making popular entertainment that challenges conventions."

As the people that propagate this kind of hate would say, how stunning and brave! I hope these gamers get the mental help they so clearly need. Unfortunately this is now the cost of making popular entertainment that challenges conventions. Laura doesn’t deserve any of this. ❤️ https://t.co/kHzXddZzIB

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) July 3, 2020

The controversy surrounding The Last of Us Part II began following a massive leak in late April. Many fans criticized story elements outlined in the spoilers, in particular the death of a main character, leading to fan-led review bombings ahead of the game's release. These types of fan-led campaigns have become commonplace since the early 2010s. Over the last few years, review bombings, harassment and death threats have found their way into all areas of fandom, with the response to Star Wars: The Last Jedi being among the most prominent. However, pleas from creators to fans to stop reacting this way, the response to TLOU2 shows that we still have a long way to go.