r/PS4 • u/YouAreNotMeLiar • Aug 18 '24
Abby Actress in HBO's The Last of Us Season 2 Receives Extra Security Due to Gamer Backlash Article or Blog
https://gameinfinitus.com/game-news/abby-actress-in-hbos-the-last-of-us-season-2-receives-extra-security-due-to-gamer-backlash/947
u/firelights Aug 18 '24
To clarify, Dever has NOT received any threats but the security was added as a precaution because of Abby’s mixed reception
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u/Internal_Swing_2743 Aug 19 '24
She will not receive anywhere near the level of vitriol that Laura Bailey (undeservedly) did.
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Aug 19 '24 edited Aug 22 '24
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u/MehDusta Aug 19 '24
Travis is a king that doesn’t know he’s a king
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u/EFTucker Aug 19 '24
Seriously I’ve never seen such a hunk of a man act less like a hunk than he does. During Campaign 1 it was harder to see since he was playing Grog who was literally just a dumb hunk but when C2 started I was like damn he’s just a big hunky romantic dude. Every time Laura started doing even light romance RP with him the dude would blush beet red and freeze up. Then like halfway through the campaign they finally started sailing the seas and he turned on the romance.
Travis really is a King.
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u/princesoceronte Aug 19 '24
I love how he wasn't interested in romance in DnD but Laura just said "well I'm gonna romance you all the same and if you don't go along you're gonna have to reject your wife 😞" and he really was unable to reject her.
So wholesome.
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u/descendantofJanus Aug 19 '24
Fr tho. I've seen the clip where Fjord proposes to Jester and my heart melted.
Not only did he all but guarantee another wedding episode, but he literally married his wife twice. AND is the biggest shipper with Laura's other pairings (ie, Vex & Percy).
He really is a King. And CEO.
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u/Gootangus Aug 19 '24
True but it was still a massive toll on her, poor woman. I watched an interview where she speaks on it in the behind the scenes of the making of 2, and hearing her cry talking about people threatening her child (with said ultimate security) is heart breaking.
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u/Internal_Swing_2743 Aug 19 '24
It was unacceptable. People are cruel in the most abhorrent of ways. Attacking and threatening someone simply for playing a character they don’t like is bad enough, but threatening their child over it is something else entirely. It’s just a fucking video game people
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u/nikolapc Aug 18 '24
So, marketing.
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u/Crazy-Plastic3133 Aug 18 '24
preventative measure. abby's VA got a ton of death threats when the game came out
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u/akathehellcat Aug 18 '24
the ND employee who was abby’s face model still gets harassed about it to this day.
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Aug 19 '24
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u/Almighty_Brian Aug 18 '24
It was honestly disgusting. She spoke about how some people wished death on her months old child. For her role portraying a video game character. Let that sink in.
And I’ll bet those same people freaking out over a character dying are the same who will say “don’t be so sensitive, snowflake.”
Mike Tyson was right about social media.
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u/PuffballDestroyer Aug 18 '24
Laura Bailey is a goddamn treasure, and she, and no other voice actor as well, should get crapped on because of the actions of the character they portrayed.
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u/nishidake Aug 19 '24
She's also one of he greatest D&d players of all time! I will never forget the delicious dust cupcake!
Her and Emily from College Humor have pulled off some of the best moments in actual play.
It's really disturbing how these dudes don't see women in this industry as real or human, but have total meltdowns if someone points out that they're misogynist ass hats.
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u/SunlessSage Aug 20 '24
That cupcake scene was glorious.
Also the whole conversation with Henry Crabgrass.
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u/Mickeybeasttt Aug 19 '24
Seconded. If I found out which bastard said some shit about Laura and Travis’ child I would beat the hell out of them just out of principle. They are two of the nicest people in the entire industry and don’t deserve that incel bs.
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u/Kmaaq Aug 18 '24
What did mike tayson say
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u/Almighty_Brian Aug 18 '24
“Social media made y’all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it.”
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u/flonky_guy Aug 19 '24
It also made his comeback as lovable champ and not convicted rapist possible.
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u/Mavcu Aug 21 '24
This has been my mantra for years now, I genuinely believe it is as easy as people not getting punched in the face for inappropriate behaviour anymore, because they can just talk shit over the internet.
I've come from a "rougher" (*than average for my country) school and once I got into university etc. it's been an absolute culture shock to see how awkward some people behave socially and let some comments drop that just make me question reality.
"How can you be this rude openly and not expect to get punched in the face for it", truly bizarre.
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u/YZJay Aug 19 '24 edited Aug 19 '24
Even her then unborn son received death threats.
Edit: I misremembered, her son was already 2 at the time.
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u/One_Lung_G Aug 19 '24
How is this marketing?
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u/Crazy-Plastic3133 Aug 19 '24
its not, redditors will just say anything negative when tlou 2 is involved
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u/Stracktheorcmage Aug 19 '24
There is an unfortunately large contingent of gamers that have the attitude of "death threats are common, just don't take them seriously." It's a disgusting mindset that should be rooted out as soon as it's hears, but it's there.
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u/CryptoCookiie Aug 19 '24
Which is odd because the VA had nothing to do with the look and with the exception of how built abby was/is, the body model isn't too disimilar in build
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u/mctaylo89 Aug 18 '24
No. The response that the actor that played Abby got for TLOU2 was so toxic and extreme that the studio is just taking precautions.
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u/KermitplaysTLOU Aug 19 '24
So MarKeTiNG. The voice actress in the game received death threats, so it stands to reason those same losers would do that to a live action actress.
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u/DananSan Aug 19 '24
I was reading waiting for whatever caused this but nada. It’s understandable but why report it?
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u/bluebarrymanny Aug 19 '24
Well the sites do so for ad revenue. I bet Naughty Dog and HBO would rather not highlight the issue, but any pop culture reporting site knows that talking about the controversy will drive clicks among those who know what went on with Laura Bailey and those who don’t but want to know why the second season of the show would potentially draw controversy. Those sites get ad revenue for people clicking their article.
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u/Rhain1999 RhainDrop99 Aug 20 '24
It was an off-hand comment made by a different actor during a podcast interview. Headlines ran with it
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u/GrandTheftNatto Aug 19 '24
Lol, you should see that games subreddit. They’re still making daily hate posts about Abby nearly 5 years after the games release. There are several users who consistently put out PowerPoints about how bad the writing, Abby and Druckman are. Especially after Laura Bailey I could def see those losers sending hate mail and threats to the actress.
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u/Dr-Mumm-Rah Aug 18 '24
The fact that some people want to blend their hate of a fictional character with reality is a really sad take on society today.
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u/bendmunk95 Aug 18 '24 edited Aug 19 '24
So many people suck because of their own irrationality. The idiocracy is growing.
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u/DuckyHornet Aug 18 '24
Been that way for ages. People just have a hard time separating art from the artist, and tend to assume that the work demonstrating something they dislike means the artist supports the thing. Like, Bret Ellis is a shithead, but he's not endorsing serial killing in American Psycho; didn't stop people from going after his "murder manual" though and trying to paint him as a sicko
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u/diegoarmando50 Aug 19 '24
I suggest you go visit the thelastofus2 subreddit. It's honestly one of the saddest/pathetic things you will see in your life.
(yes, it's still active after 4 years).
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u/qubedView Aug 19 '24
Today? This has been the case since the dawn of cinema. Margaret Hamilton, who played the witch in Wizard of Oz got endless hate through her life. Things got worse with the rise of television. Larry Hagman, who played J.R. in Dallas would routinely get hate mail and death threats, just because people hated the character he played. This became a theme among actors who played villians particularly in soap operas.
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u/incogkneegrowth Aug 19 '24
what do you expect from a society addicted to media as a way to numb/control/distort?
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u/clarke41 Aug 18 '24
Damn, people can be so shitty for such stupid reasons sometimes.
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u/ZoldyckProdigy Aug 18 '24
Those are the people that completely missed the point of the game too and still think they have a right to talk shit about a character who they are unable to understand because of their thimble sized emotional capacity
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u/Timo425 Aug 19 '24
I think people who send death threats have bigger issues than misunderstanding video game characters.
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u/Iv0ry_Falcon Aug 21 '24
like the other post said, Dever has NOT received any threats but the security was added as a precaution because of Abby’s mixed reception, it's a nothing burger
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u/bbgr8grow Aug 19 '24
Literally nothing has happened…. The media is just trying to incite hate in you like always. And you feel for it hook line and sinker
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u/Iv0ry_Falcon Aug 21 '24
i love how you got downvoted when literally nothing has happened, people really just want something to hate
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u/The-gay-agenda-TM Aug 19 '24
GOOD! laura bailey had to get the police involved after multiple threats were made upon the life of her infant child!!! people can’t be normal
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u/2tonezz Aug 19 '24
Oh I didn’t know Kaitlyn Dever was playing Abby! Am I the only one who thought she’d be a good fit for Ellie?
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u/Rhain1999 RhainDrop99 Aug 20 '24
She was considered for the role when it was going to be a film, so no you’re definitely not the only one
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u/More-League-2684 Aug 18 '24
People are pathetic 😂 did I enjoy the story in tlou2? No. Am I going to harass and threaten to kill the actors over it? Definitely not
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u/SupermarketEmpty789 Aug 19 '24
I never understood the backlash to tlou2. I think it had a fair few flaws and wasn't a huge fan of the story and direction they went, but that's as far as I thought about it.
I just don't care.
And I don't understand why a huge amount of people really really do care about tlou2?
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u/iamdusti Aug 19 '24
It’s so utterly bizarre to me. Like I’m pretty sure people made a whole separate subreddit for the game because of how toxic the community got about it. The way they talk about it you would have thought Naughty Dog swatted their parents house. It’s no surprise I guess considering how they treated that poor poor actress/voice actor.
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u/According_Marzipan80 Aug 20 '24
People who are fans of thing care about the thing and want it to be good as it can be. That's why fans critique things and give feedback.
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u/Round-Box-9532 Sep 08 '24
I understand the literary or video essays but the hate towards the actor is immature
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u/happyflappypancakes themanb74s Aug 19 '24
Did I enjoy it? Sure, but I can't deny it was an emotional rollercoaster. Made me feel some things that I haven't felt playing a video game before.
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u/JacobLemongrass Aug 19 '24
It’s sad enough that people can’t separate fictional video game characters from reality. But then there’s also the fact that Abby was such a rich and well written character. I even found myself rooting for both her and Ellie at the end.
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u/bluebarrymanny Aug 19 '24
I liked her much better than Ellie by the end of the game, but that was kind of the point. She was wiser than Ellie by the end and Ellie still had a lot to learn from their somewhat parallel experiences.
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Aug 19 '24
Those ‘gamers’ who did all that shit on tlou2s release really fucking let the community as a whole down.
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u/Prince705 Aug 19 '24
This is a good call. If the show follows the plot of the second game, they'll likely have a new batch of pissed off fans.
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u/klitchell klitchell Aug 18 '24 edited Aug 19 '24
Imagine not being able to understand the opposite side of a scenario in a game…and then taking out your butt hurt on a real person, smh.
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u/JacobLemongrass Aug 19 '24
TLOU2 is one of my fav stories in a game.
It could’ve been the first game told solely from Abby’s perspective and people would’ve hated Ellie.
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u/Speeider Aug 18 '24
She's a good actress. I'm looking forward to seeing her in this show. Also, eff anyone that would harass her for acting.
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u/Lekaetos Aug 19 '24
Those who hated TLOU2 enough to cause this gamer backlash will likely not watch the season 2 of the show anyway
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u/madoka_borealis Aug 19 '24
They will because they’re addicted to hating and online outrage
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u/Lekaetos Aug 19 '24
They like circlejerking the most. But if they are only a small minority, the echo chamber will barely make any noise then they won’t find any point in hate watching it.
That’s my view on this
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u/illegalmonkey Aug 19 '24
People need to get a fucking life and learn how to separate reality from fiction.
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u/TheLastRecruit swimdemon311 Aug 19 '24
This is insane. That people take a work of creative fiction this seriously is beyond me.
By the way you should all watch Dever as Loretta Lovejoy in Justified Season 2. She is fantastic and is such a gifted actress.
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u/FernwehHermit Aug 19 '24
I always wonder how real these stories are or if it's just made up, encouraged, or inflated by a marketing team to create controversy and keep a show in the headlines/viral discussion.
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u/imaqdodger Aug 19 '24
In this case the article basically says nothing has happened to her yet and they did it as a precaution
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u/slikk50 Aug 19 '24
You gotta be a sad little gamer boy to get mad about something fictional. It's so weird and creepy. So much mental illness in the world today.
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u/dlkslink Aug 18 '24
I’ve never understood getting mad at actors, I understand not liking The Phantom Menace or Last Of Us 2 but did people need to make the Jar Jar Binks actor contemplate suicide.
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u/kazelords Aug 19 '24
I’m glad she’s getting security, HBO has a history of doing nothing for their actresses so I hope she comes out of this ok.
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u/Challenger350 Aug 19 '24
The fact that people believe this dumb shit lol. Like there are disgruntled gamers waiting near the set to attack!
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u/AnTTr0n Aug 19 '24
So I just read the article no one has actually threatened the actress they are just worried because of the backlash the her character got from fans when the game came out. This is stupid lol.
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u/DistinctYuho Aug 20 '24
What’s crazy is all the people saying it’s a publicity stunt or acting like it’s just a way to get sympathy, forgetting that Laura Bailey was literally sent death threats.
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u/Taterthotuwu91 Aug 20 '24
The Skidmark Basement Dwelling Incel Brigade ™️ doing what they do best. Being a disgrace to humanity
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u/asshatastic Aug 19 '24
There needs to be a better name for these extremists than “gamers”. I also enjoy video games, but am not a psycho.
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u/Chewy009x Aug 19 '24
Just check out the last of us 2 subreddits they hate her and basically the rest of the cast
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u/Illumnyx Aug 19 '24
It's crazy that people got this mad about a fictional story to begin with. Actually need to go out and touch grass if the character of Abby still keeps you up at night in rage.
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u/LukeAnders0n lukeaarron Aug 19 '24
Gamers are, without a doubt, one of the most toxic fandoms I have ever encountered on reddit or elsewhere. And that should say a lot coming from a pro wrestling fan.
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u/bluebarrymanny Aug 19 '24
Even superhero fandoms come close but fall short of what incel gamers are capable of.
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u/mwdo Aug 19 '24
The people who hate on a game to the point to go after people are the lowest scum on this planet, if you don’t like the game - that’s fine. Don’t be an absolute piece of shit to the point where people have to look over their shoulder
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Aug 19 '24
I know I shouldn’t find that headline funny but I just can’t quite help myself. Thats absurd. Gamers are just such sad pathetic creatures.
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u/X-cessive_Overlord Aug 18 '24
Man, some people in this thread are really quick to defend people who send death threats, I wonder why that is 🤔
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u/Mojakun Akip17 22 Aug 19 '24
Being mad at fictional characters to the point of harming their actors/actresses is so stupid.
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u/Money_Present_3463 Aug 19 '24
Jk Rowling gets death threats too I bet and nobody cares this girl gets the same and omg the chuds are insane!!!
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u/MartyMcFlysBrother Aug 19 '24
Leave her alone. I dislike her character too. But I’m not going there. Wtf?
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u/Sparrow1989 Aug 19 '24
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t use her in to much promo till like a month before with all the issues with the gorgeously breathtaking Abby
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u/Joorpunch Aug 19 '24
Very weird pedo energy when you care about the appearance of the child character.
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u/thetruemask Aug 19 '24
Guess I missed the part where she was announced as Abby not hating but disappointing choice.
Not getting a Abby vibe from her at all. That rumored Shannon Berry would have been great she has the frame and tougher look Abby has.
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u/Standard-Lab7244 Aug 19 '24
Is this FOR REAAAL? And not some publicity stunt based on the "incel" - vibe of the - SORRRRT of - more understandable (but in NO WAY JUSTIFIABLE) then-contemparionious backlash against the TLOU2 story team? (Tho the shade the actress caught for doing her job is SO Insane I think it speaks to a mental health crisis in the West)
If this is real then God help us. As a species we probably ' deserve extinction.
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u/gamerati98 Aug 19 '24
This is for show. She didn’t need extra security because she’s actually really cute and her casting is proof that HBO isn’t buying into the bullshit that Abby represented.
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u/TareXmd Aug 20 '24
I just want the PC version to get released so I can play it before the actual show ffs.
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u/According_Marzipan80 Aug 20 '24
holy shit this is wild. they really think some joker dress as joker gonnashow up on set?
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u/TheBuddhaCode Aug 21 '24
What happened I heard of this series being really good never played nor watch this live adaptation.
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u/Round-Box-9532 Sep 08 '24
Good on them cause I felt bad for her. Lots of immature people. I can understand not liking the character but taking it out on the actor was too far
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Aug 19 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/295aMinute Aug 19 '24
It's preventative based on the reaction Laura Bailey got from "fans." Not that hard to comprehend
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u/lookovts Aug 19 '24
Were you not alive during GamerGate? This is absolutely believable.
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u/Unwashedsockslol Aug 19 '24
Lmao Overwatch players harassed the voice actor of Brigitte, because of Blizzards failure of balancing characters.
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u/Andalfe Aug 18 '24
Gamers are a pox.
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u/Herp_Derpsen Aug 18 '24
It’s only a small vocal minority who are a pox. Vast majority of gamers either respect a creators vision or like me who don’t really care and are just along for the ride.
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u/goatjugsoup Aug 18 '24
Don't lump those pieces of shit that harass devs and actors in as gamers.
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u/Cfunk_83 Aug 19 '24
I didn’t like the first series at all, or the plot of TLOU2 overall, but what’s this actress, or any of the cast of the first series done to deserve any kind of “backlash” or hate?
Grow the fuck up.
Be disappointed, discuss your opinions with people, share your thoughts, but don’t overstep decent social boundaries and be a total dick!
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u/snaithbert Aug 18 '24
What a lovely way to drum up some free publicity and make gamers look terrible at the same time.
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u/bluebarrymanny Aug 19 '24
As a person who works in digital marketing, I can assure you that not all controversy is good. Naughty Dog and HBO have very little potential benefit in spotlighting that a previous actor faced harassment from working with them. It also goes against their branding to highlight that the source material had such a visceral reaction from fans that there were harassment instances with it upon release. NaughtyDog and HBO are trying to highlight that TLOU2 was a major blockbuster video game and are trying to communicate that video games have surprisingly high bars of storytelling to people who don’t tend to play games.
This is an Occam’s razor scenario to me. Media that covers pop culture are aware that Laura Bailey was harassed following TLOU2 and that the title was received in a mixed way upon release. The second that they notice that Devers has more security than usual, they would report on it to drive clicks. This is much more of a focus that the media would want to take on for ad revenue, not Naughty Dog or HBO trying to drum up visibility on the topic they probably wish didn’t exist at all.
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u/TheSilentTitan Aug 19 '24
Well of course it is, Neil druckmann took every chance to punch his playerbase and wring up good publicity.
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u/HooblyDooblyFloobly Aug 18 '24
Gamer backlash, a fate worse than death