Opinions about the recent The Last of Us Part II leaks have been abundant, but how does Joel himself feel about the massive leak that has so many upset? Voice actor Troy Baker recently weighed in on the recent The Last of Us Part II leak thanks to a recent Instagram livestream, and the man has a point.
This past weekend, the actor took to his Instagram to discuss the recent leaks – including the one that spoiled a major plot point with a few hours of direct gameplay. “Oh dude, it doesn’t matter,” the actor said via Dexerto. “Look, if you think that game [TLOU2] can be ruined by a couple of screenshots… really? A studio with thirty plus years of development, with so many awards under their belt they can’t even put them all in one trophy closet.”
But it’s not just about the screenshots, there was also a very big spoiler regarding a critical part in the story. Baker continued, saying “This is the biggest, most ambitious game they’ve ever done. You really think that that experience can be undone by a couple of screenshots? Think six years of development can be undone by that? It’s a game, it’s a game. You have to experience it. That’s all I’m gonna say.”
Given that he was careful not to name the video leak by that particular instance, the messaging is still the same. We here at Prima Games chose not to cover the initial video leak out of respect to fans and the studio but one thing we will say without giving it away is that a decision that major regarding a narrative point has to have context and nuance. Naughty Dog knows how to tell a tale but their story design relies heavily upon a building effect, nuance provided throughout the entire outline. Though the leak was massive, it wasn’t the whole game, which means that context and the reasoning behind certain decisions were left undiscovered.
While many have mentioned that they felt the leak “destroyed” the game and their desire to play over disagreeing with the narrative outcome, it’s important to remember the value of context. If this is a game you’ve been looking forward to, play it. Rent it, if you have to, but don’t just not give the studio a chance to show you the method behind the madness. A lot of hard work goes into games, especially those as intricate as this sequel, and it’s harmful to those that worked so hard to not give their art a chance.
Even more so to this point following the crunch reports of Naughty Dog. We’ve spoken to several major devs attached to the project and they all paint the same picture: this leak was devastating and does more harm than good and makes the crunch situation and spotlight all the more worse for wear. Support devs while supporting better treatment for devs, but theft is not the way to do that.
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The Last of Us Part II officially arrives on PlayStation 4 on June 19th, which is closer than you think! If you haven’t already, it’s not too late to scoop up a copy for yourself right here while supporting Prima Games at the same time! Be sure to also mosey on over to our game hub to learn more about the upcoming sequel.
