PlayStation defends domestic abuse in trailers: "A game made by adults, to be played by adults"

Jim Ryan, President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, President of Global Sales and Marketing for Sony Interactive Entertainment, and onstage host of the PlayStation Media Showcase at Paris Games Week, has responded to accusations the event featured unnecessarily graphic and disturbing depictions of violence.

[ziggurcat]

what was controversial about it, exactly?

[Majin-vegeta]

The so called "Violence".God damn is there anything these crybabies nowadays won't wine about?

[UltraNova]

Bitching and crying wolf for everything, apparently, is the new trend these days.

[TheKingKratos]

I understand them though
I mean in part 1
you hold roses and give them to clickers to hug you and become friends and then you take Ellie and walk away into the sunset while smiling and looking at rainbows
This part 2 is vastly different from part 1
So i get it and understand it completely

[NewMonday]

@Gamer4lifz

LOL

love the response from Jim Ryan

[Eonjay]

@NewMonday

'Games by adults for adults' - Jim Ryan
'
Its weird because you see that for a while, the target for many developers was the young agro male. I want to see someone explore different target audiences over generations. All the way back to Sega/Nintendo days.

[Kratos_Kart2007]

Zombie apocalypses should be hearts and rainbows and holding hands...

[StormSnooper]

Let's all stop watching movies and shows with violence then? Did someone force this guy to watch the trailer?

[fiveby9]

I thought the trailer was fantastic. Gritty. If someone thinks the game is too violent, then don't play it. I know I'll be playing it.

[PurpHerbison]

Recreational outrage.

[KickSpinFilter]

I don't think it was the violence per-say look at Doom much more violent. It's the realness of the situation that made people uncomfortable. Kinda like Aliens 2 or Star Wars vs (Alien 1st one only). I been waiting for that
"Alien 1" feel in my games for awhile. Thx ND

[Markusb33]

Your not cool unless your offended by everything or calling someone a nazi racist

[Count_Bakula]

The worst part about this rising culture is that they attempt to change content that everyone else consumes. They don't just say "Wow, this is too heavy for me. Not watching this trailer. Made me uncomfortable" or something. No, they say this should not exist, be out in the world because of ME. God these people are weak, thin-skinned, demanding, entitled assholes.

[Skull521]

A big part of why Trump won the election

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

@Majin-vegeta
Exactly. There are movies being shown on cable and network TV that are even more violent than that trailer. Some people need to get a life.

[REDGUM]

Just wait till they start complaining about Concrete Genie and how it insights graffiti around the world.

SERIOUSLY......
IT'S A GAME DAMN IT!!

[badz149]

When Sony is dominating and there's nothing to stop them, journalist is finding a way to bash Sony. Suddenly now violence in video games is an issue again. WTF? So desperate. If you love rainbow so much, Mario Odyssey just launched. Go play that!

[joab777]

You can’t even depict violence anymore. You can’t even reference history prior to 2000 without being a racist or bigot.

I play their game sometimes and listen to them talk and try and pick out anything that could be conveyed in the same manner or perspective in which they do. And it’s easy to take just about any statement someone makes and twist it to fit your agenda.

And they complain about publishers having a responsibility, blah, blah, but when is the last time you heard an uproar over the fact that anyone can access porn in 3 seconds on any device? Ya don’t. Maybe they can make their next platform highlight the intrusion into how I raise my own kids.

[GamingIVfun]

It's part of the story, same as in a movie or TV series (where domestic violence is shown often), it being in a game doesn't show approval of the action any more than it being in a movie or TV show show's approval of the action.

[indyman7777]

Guy SLAMS her to the flood puts a rope around neck and hoists. You see nothing wrong with even that part? Female getting beat with a mallet does not bother you huh?

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Dang I am a Sony fan but if that video does not make you have a heart all I can say about you 95% voters is your all satanic and have lost your conscience. The biggest proof is your mocking everyone as cry babies for not liking wickedness? Maybe video games does make some people have no feelings. SOME

I guess this is one of the signs of the LAST generations before Armageddon . People will not CARE. No conscience........check and check.

[UltraNova]

indyman77,

If i decide i dont like you, would that be reason enough to question your existence or ask for your termination?

Two more things: 1) Its a fictional scene-key word } fictional.
2) You dont have to buy/play it and I'm sure no one will force you to if you dont want to.

[ravinash]

indyman77 - You've missed the point of the scene.
The violent actions are being committed against you, your not the one in power in this scene.
It's meant to bother you...that's the whole point.

This isn't GTA.

[bluefox755]

It was "graphic", which is why they had a warning before the trailer. People complaining about this being violent, even after seeing the warning, are idiots.

[naruga]

i damn agree with that Sony statement ...all games are not for all people

[Aceman18]

I winced at the clipped bird wing part, but that just made me want to play the game even more because I want to know more about these characters.

Same goes for Detroit I want to play it more now after that part of the story.

[Vizigoth04]

Was on the phone with my brother last night the "Clip Her Wings" part he thinks is a connection to Firefly and their group.

People should judge a book by it's cover nor a video game by a 5 minute clip. I swear the people who cry out in violence has never sat down and read a book in there life. Where there is story and plot behind the violence. And then you have your heroes as well like, Joel, Ellie, Nathan Drake, Aloy an Krotos who have to come in and save the freaking day. Hell Master Chief won't even show his face. Oh damn I went too far.

[Aceman18]

@viz

I was thinking the same thing.

[KickSpinFilter]

Detroit was much tougher to watch, but again OK. I'm gonna murder that "dad" when I play it first chance I get.

[babadivad]

Anyone know when these games are supposed to launch??

[andrewsquall]

The way everyone exposed themselves for being "TLOU fans" when they couldn't even clearly tell a character looks and sounds nothing like Ellie. It was especially controversial when well known gaming journalists and and websites made the mistake too.

Lol.

[ColonelHugh]

I know what you're saying, but I'm a pretty big TLoU fan and I thought that was Ellie at first because of how low quality bit-rate the stream I was watching was. I recognized Laura Bailey's voice but my brain tricked me into thinking it was Ellie because I was certain the trailer would be showing Ellie.

Even with beer goggle vision it seemed weird that Ellie would be so jacked, so I guess I should have known.

[Goldby]

^not to mention blonde

[babadivad]

Elle was a child in the first game. I thought this was her as an adult. And I've beaten TLOU at least 3 times. Does that mean I'm not a "True Fan"

[Ceaser9857361]

seriously!! These type of games are for adults and not kids and weak hearted people... Last of us has violence written all over... People needs to stop whining ... Dont like it dont play it .... I loved it and getting it on day one ish..

[Ittoittosai]

It wasnt the violence, we have had pretty violent games in the past. Its that it depicted violence against women.....boooo whoooo. You want more women depicted in game, ya got it now stop crying they are being treated equally and real world problems are beening to be addressed in gaming just like books, comics, movies and teleavision. Whay are people surprised by this ? If people were shocked they've been live under rocks.

[CyberSentinel]

Realistic violence is an invasion of their “safe space”.

[DarXyde]

Put simply? It made someone cringe.

Of course it did. That was the point. How exactly is this domestic violence? There's no evidence of cohabitation. It's more about brutality, which is not uncommon in game trailers.

Meanwhile, the Metal Gear Rising trailer had Raiden showcase zan-datsu, resulting in bifurcation and ripping out a spine. Nothing wild about that.

Naughty Dog cares about narrative and making you feel a certain way. This is a sequel to a very brutal game. A trailer tailored to fans of the first totally isn't going overboard.

Stop being so sensitive, folks.

[Clunkyd]

People crying about frivolous BS again?
...Why am I not surprised.

[rainslacker]

Beats me. If talking about detroit Anyone who felt that Sony was showing that as an endorsement that it was ok needs to be slapped and sent back to grade school. The whole.point was to make it uncomfortable and show that the player had the chance to intervene. Given many of the responses of people saying what they would do, it's pretty obvious that most people who viewed it weren't on board with the father being an ass

If talking about tlou, that wasn't domestic violence, just regular violence

[kneon]

It will be interesting to see what percentage of people end up killing that asshole, I'm guessing it will be 80%+

[343_Guilty_Spark]

The teddy bears.

[Tru_Ray]

The controversy is about whether the violence is excessive or whether it is necessary to the story. Further, why would the developers choose this clip in particular to promote the game? Is their target demographic young males that are titillated by this kind of violent content?

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the content should be censored, but admittedly I was a bit taken aback by the level of violence in the trailer. We don't want to get to the point where ultraviolence has become so civilized that we don't even question the potential ramifications of promoting this kind of content. It is at least worthy of an intelligent discussion.

Tru_

[ziggurcat]

the violence, in the case of TLoU at least, was appropriate in the context of the story and its environment, though...

[Goldby]

I wouldn't even call that ultra violence. Realistic, absolutely. Was it necessary, personally I think so on two fronts.

The first being that they decided to show off what the trailer was for after the trailer was done (title post trailer) making us believe it may be a different game at first.

And because there is something about "clip her wings" that will be unraveled in the game. That scene is an important scene most likely.

[rainslacker]

From what I've seen, most people found it cringeworthy in a way that made them uncomfortable. Given that, I'd say that people aren't desensitized to it, nor are people complacent with viewing such violence.

Showing graphic violence doesn't civilize it. It's used as a way to evoke an emotion for the purpose of story. Empathy allows people to connect through the characters this way, and it's why it's an effective narrative tool. So long as people have some emotion evoked in this manner, it won't be civilized.

[iceman06]

Considering the context of he violence, it makes complete sense. The clip was chosen to create discomfort with the violence and not promote it. Which is exactly what it seemed to achieve. This is an adult game with adult themes and, hence, a mire intense level of violence IN CONTEXT with the narrative. The way people are complaining, it seems like some clip from a back alley snuff film.
In the end, Sony decided to appeal to people in a more visceral way using violence as a means. That visceral response was meant to be reflected upon. But, instead of reflection (why did I react this way?), some people decided to just lash out. (like an adolescent who can't contextualize emotions)

[Seraphim]

I miss the 80s and 90s where everyone didn't give 2 shats and said it how it is. This BS is getting old. Everyone is offended and outraged by a million things these days. It's truly quite sad.

[joab777]

It’s about, I need hits and I’m bored so I’m gonna try and destroy someone with nonsense!

Quick poll: how many people think Sony promotes domestic violence? Oh, none of you. Ok then.

My kids’ kids are gonna grow up in a world in which they are only allowed to see, think and say certain things, and any example or human action will be punished severely. That’ll be a much better world!

[frostypants]

Yeah I don't get it. It's not portrayed in a positive light. Meanwhile lots of games feature people blowing each other to pieces without much context and nobody makes a peep. But portray realistic violence, in a way that makes it clear said violence is a bad thing, and NOW they complain? LOL wtf... So little Timmy can murder people all day in CoD or GTA...but show him a violent scene that might actually make him feel sorry for the victim? OUTRAGE!

[babadivad]

I applaud Sony for this response. I wished MS had the balls to say/do stuff like this like they used to. I still can't get over the fact that Microsoft passed on Heavy Rain[which was supposed to be an exclusive to them] because it had child kidnapping in it.

That's the sign of a company that's forgotten who and what their core audience is.

[GamingCentaur]

Just SJWs being sensitive pansies as usual.

[Uken12]

You people know that the dude Kills his daughter in the trailer right? And the theme from what I can tell is that you are an Android sent by a company the has service android. This man has a female Android for what the fuck ever. And then it shows his true colors that he is a White Trash abusive male who hates his child for the mother leaving him. Kills her and you can stop it by hitting X, O, or Square every so often. Nothing about this seams appealing. Hate it for being stupid. It doesn't support Domestic Violence in any way and I don't think they should be scolded for that. But it's just a dumb thing to make a gamer go through, seriously why would you want to play through an experience like this?

Personally I think it just looks bad as a game. Stupid concept. All of David Cages games are trash. A mix of a bad game and a bad movie.

[babadivad]

This comment is so stupid I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not.

[Uken12]

How's it stupid? LOL, I am just giving a third person perspective.

I am saying the subject matter is stupid. Which is just my opinion btw. Yay I want to be an android who has the choice to stop a violent "White Male" from killing his wife and child. So I get to play quicktime events through a boatload of cg story. It doesn't sound compelling at all.

Let me ask you this, do you like watching realistic rape scenes in movies or TV. Like graphic ones that are extremely realistic and long? I know I don't. I already know it's a horrible act, i don't need a first person perspective on the whole thing.

I don't think the problem is that it supports domestic violence, I think it's a stupid subject matter to base a video game off of.

[AKS]

@ziggurcat You'll probably hear plenty of nonsense as to why, but the truth is the brutality wasn't towards a man. We've seen thousands of adult males slaughtered in games without a peep. Men are viewed as being relatively disposable. Women and childhood are viewed as deserving protection from harm or even discomfort. The huge double standard is the reason it's perceived as "controversial."

[jambola]

It wasn't just violence
It was violence against a woman
and that's much much worse

[babadivad]

Hilarious

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Seriously stop crying

[shuvam09]

Seriously dude...
Last I saw someone make Mario jump off the top of the building in SMO, no one complained...
Imagine the impact that would have on kids :O

[Relientk77]

It was dark, it was brutal, and it was violent.

Cry baby media, get over it. The Last of Us Part 2 looks amazing

[Cupid_Viper_3]

Here is my favorite part about this whole alleged e controversy. Minutes before the trailer for TLoU2, I watched countless men murdered in Call of Duty... I watched a sniper extinguished at least 2 people, then chased another man down and killed him up-close with a handgun. I watched in vivid details as a machine gun tore through people on the ground forcing them to run for their lives, only to turn the corner and find that a man waiting with a flame thrower was lying there in wait.... Burned them alive and we heard them scream... Another man got stabbed with a bayonet.... I mean, I could go on and on but what would be the point? Obvious agenda is obvious, lol.

I tried reading an interview with Eurogamer.net did with David Cage and I couldn't finish it... Like, I just felt so bad for the guy as he was being attacked for no real reason. I can't stand bullies, because I know with 100 percent certainty that they're cowards, and I must say that I'm glad that it wasn't me being interrogated/instigated in such a manner because I probably would have 'clipped the wings' on that mofo...

[madforaday]

It is also free advertising, in reality, Sony doesn't care an ounce about what the media or certain people think. of course, they have PR for this kind of stuff so you don't have titles coming in saying, We asked Sony about domestic violence and they didn't give us an answer. Sony knows this means nothing, and if anything gives them more publicity to a game that is going to be huge. In a way, it is a win win for Sony. In reality, it is like come on now, video games get stuck in this class that can't express themselves just because we have a controller in our hands playing it. The game is going to be so much more than just brutal, violent and dark.

[opinionated]

Devs have been doing a lot of “defending” lately. It’s pathetic and sad in all cases.

[uth11]

At least they are defending now, for the past few years it seemed like they were more likely to roll over to the demands

[InTheZoneAC]

I know they're not devs, but your argument doesn't apply to Kellogg's and corn pops

[opinionated]

No, it’s pathetic that they have to defend themselves from a bunch of snot nosed pricks. Not pathetic that they are defending themselves. I worded that wrong lol.

[BuildTheWall]

You mean like a bunch of little coward Liberals after one person says their feelings got hurt? People need to stop being such pussies & actually stand for what they believe in / how they feel instead of apologizing every time they hear they may have hurt someone's feelings. These bitches screaming about a game need to get a life & address actual cases of domestic abuse.

[The7Reaper]

The new trailer was controversial? lol I hate this world, people get offended when the wind blows now adays it's pathetic.

[Relientk77]

^ This

I hate it

[isarai]

You're not even wrong...

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Christopher]

AC is sexist, so turn it up so that men are sweating like crazy and uncomfortable rather than wear a sweater? Totally men's fault for having more muscle mass naturally for generating heat.

[Goldby]

But if it's the summer months you will see the same women in shorts and tank tops enjoying the weather...

I can't. .. even... What?

[Mirdus]

I lost my faith in humanity looong time ago, I know we can only go downhill thanks to these kind of stupid idiots whose brain are not functioning properly. It's sad to see us going from hopeful humans with spaceflight and moon landings to whining about the most stupidest thing...These days everything is sexist everything is harassment, soon we cannot even talk to anyone, or look at anyone in the fear of being accused of being an sexual predator or sexist. Just avoid each other and we all die lonely, thank you modern day feminism, thank you political correctness, for destroying what once were basic human interactions with your bullshit.

[blackblades]

So true, every small thing these days is treated as controverial. TF!

[Uken12]

I mean, like being the person who makes the moral decisions while watching a stereotypical "White Trash" male murder his wife and child isn't weird or messed up in any way. Sound like an "Adult" theme that is compelling to play through right?

Not messed up in any way. Totally normal and full of fun.

[mgszelda1]

Life at it's very core is violent, exciting, scary and a little bit messed up. People who censor themselves from this kind of stuff obviously have never had their eyes opened to how brutal the real world is.

[Why o why]

Wait until they see David Attenborough's 'the hunt' . . . . Oh lawd. . .That's real life and very cruel and graphic. .

[Mithan]

Don't purchase it if it bothers you. Simple.

[Ethereal]

Novel concept.

[Mithan]

So to the guy who down voted me, what are you? A Nazi?

[vivid83]

It can’t be a nazi.... they like violence lol......it wasn’t me by the way

[Fishy Fingers]

Source headline is more contextual. Unsure why it was changed and approved. No mention of ‘controversy’.

Either way, like the man said, mature games for mature people featuring mature themes.

[zaherdab]

so a zombie apocalypse game is supposed to be... tame ? why wouldn't the same people complain about how violent the walking dead is ? or is it fine for real actors to show live acted violence but for virtual characters, it's a sin !

It's a choice and preference ... u want to see cartoonish violence of an italian ex-plumber jumping on turtles to murder them .... u got Mario for that

[raWfodog]

Those same people did complain about the violence in WD, especially the Negan scene when he introduced Abraham and Glenn to Lucille. But the whole show up to that point depicted many other scenes of violence so its not like they didn't know the show was graphic. But people always like to complain about something when all they have to do is not watch it. But instead, they want to be the moral police for everyone else and pretend they're doing it to 'protect' society when all they're really doing is trying to push their own ideals on others.

[SegaGamer]

I just find it odd now that gaming can't be taken seriously still. A lot of people still see it as a kid and teen hobby which is just stupid.

[Uken12]

I agree with you lol. I don't understand the anger over the last of us. But I think the David Cage game is a weird choice of subject matter to make into a game and for people to want to play personally. I'm good with that type of experience, I don't need to pretend to live through that shit.

[zaherdab]

I think its more about experimenting with the result of each choice you make and it's interesting to bring that many different consequences .... i think the point of that science was to show how these machines are more human than humans ...

[BLow]

Meanwhile, these same people can't wait to watch the new Walking Dead episode on Sunday.

0_o

[Mr-Dude]

Yup, the hypocrisy is huge with these people...

[zivtheawesome]

What made this trailer more violent than watching violent scenes in movies or recordings of attacks on the news? What is the reason that games cant push those boundries as well?

[blackblades]

Movies show way worst stuff, this is like 2%.

[mopground]

because it was against women. Dont you know feminists want equality but they dont?

[ClayRules2012]

I’m all for people expressing their opinions, whether I agree with it or not. Having said that, to hear people complain about this really annoys me.

Video games are an “Art form/entertainment” creators should be able to create and tell & do as they want in their respected games. You have an issue with it, don’t buy the game.

[PlayableGamez-]

Some people shouldn't express their opinions.

[ClayRules2012]

Yeah, sometimes people shouldn’t. However, if I’m in a conversation with someone who has a different opinion than me, i’m all ears. Even if it’s ridiculous.

[Mr-Dude]

Good job Sony, give those whiners the finger! And make it even more darker just to spite them haha.

[ger2396]

I'd hate to see what video games would look like if sjw's have a say.

[notachance]

it'd look like ME:Andromeda, not selling well and getting axed right away.

[Gh05t]

There wouldn't be one. It would live in development hell getting delayed over and over because there wasn't enough inclusion of some group and by the time they add it in the agenda would change and require the game development to start over to pander to the "new" issue of the week.

[PlayableGamez-]

You should go see Brianna Wu's game.
That is what it would look like.

[GamingSinceForever]

That trailer was light compared to some of the things happening in Wolfenstein 2.

[VariantAEC]

Yeah but cognitive dissonance is justified in their eyes because the game is literally about Nazi bashing...

[GamingSinceForever]

TLOU 2 takes place in a post apocalyptic world with zombies running around, so in that case I imagine morals are out the window. It's just a game.

[Omnislashver36]

I'm a liberal but I'll admit the crybaby SJW community has contributed to this. Please shut up.

[The_Eternal_one]

Wait hold on a minute.....isn't this why we have games rated?

[supercrazy25]

(M) that game is for adult only....

[Silly gameAr]

Someone always has to make something into a controversy. Just moan about something in the right direction, and the right people will make an issue out of a non-issue. I wish these companies didn't have to acknowledge overly sensitive people. Just tell them to ignore whatever is offensive to their little feelings like a normal person, and leave it at that, but that's not the world we live in today.

[gamer7804]

I found the trailer disgusting. I couldn't even watch the whole.thing. it's their right to make what they want though and i support that right, i just wont be buying this game.

[Christopher]

C'mon people. Gamer7804 supports your right to like it and just shared they didn't like it. This is what you want, people who don't like something but accept that others do and won't make a controversy about. Instead of saying thanks for not making a controversy out of your personal opinion and respecting our opinion you mock them for not liking the same thing you do? How is that any better than the controversy being created over the trailer itself?

[Gh05t]

And this is exactly why we can't have nice things anymore. People don't even see the irony.

[BlaqMagiq1]

I found this trailer amazing. I could watch it again and again. Definitely potential GOTY when it comes out.

[Liqu1d]

But you don't have a problem with extreme violence in other games?

[gamer7804]

I have a low tolerance for graphic violence, it's just my personal taste. There are other games and movies i skip out on because of that. I'm glad Sony is supporting their creators. This is their creative vision that should be seen through to its potential for their players.

[moegooner88]

You just exposed the hypocrisy of nearly the entire commentators in this story. I do disagree with what you said, but I also support your rights concerning the topic in question.

[rainslacker]

I found it to be tense. I also knew without the context of what was going on, it is impossible to make a judgement on if it was gratuitous or appropriate.

I don't condone violence in any way, but this is a work of fiction where no one was harmed in reality, and the scene was being used to show a thematic aspect of the game.

It evoked emotion, and the violence itself was certainly uncomfortable. But the way the people performing the violence got what was coming to them was also satisfying, even though I would never preach eye for an eye.

I can see why people would not be able to watch the trailer. It was pretty graphic. I can also see that if such things make one uncomfortable, they wouldn't want to buy the game because of this trailer.

I can respect that, and at least you didn't go on about the game being bad because of a single trailer.

Personally, if you can get through such things though, knowing the context behind the trailer, in the greater whole of the story which ND tends to shine in, may make it easier, and it'd be a shame to miss out on what is likely to be an emotional journey.

[Xenophon_York]

Last of Us' (Part I) story literally is set off by the main character's daughter being obliterated by an automatic weapon fired by United States of America military personnel.

Difference is there's not a National Hammer Association.

[rainslacker]

I think the difference is is that there was a lot more context to that scene. On top of that, those events being shown in such a way set up the bigger story of Joel's path to redemption and built a stronger sense of empathy for the relationship between Joel and Ellie.

Right now, there is no real context to this trailer, which makes it hard to judge if it was appropriate or gratuitous. But given the nature of TLOU in general, I'd imagine there is some point to this trailer in the bigger story. The trailer specifically showed that it's probably going to be darker and more violent than the original, which most of the time had more stylized violence, with the occasional brief graphic kind.

I don't see why anyone would say it represents domestic abuse, because there is nothing that implies that. When I read the title, I thought they were talking about Detroits trailer which did show actual domestic abuse. The only rationale I can come to is that the people claiming domestic abuse feel that any abuse against women is domestic abuse. I suppose the fact that the leader to the "bad guys" was actually a women who was obviously not sane or rational.

[hiawa23]

What controversy? The trailer was amazing..

[ocelot07]

People are so easily offended these days it's embarrassing.

[Ausbo]

This is so stupid. There are way more violent/gory games out there. People will always find something to complain about.

[Moe-Gunz]

Want the medium to be taken seriously, but then get triggered at every little thing. I mean The Godfather has violence in it and it's often referred to as one of the best movies ever made. If you want the medium to be taken serious, the devs should be able to display whatever they feel is necessary for the story. Since when did people get so soft.

On a side note, I found the Detroit trailer way more disturbing. Can't wait to play both.

[Strange_Evil]

I don't care what some journalists write about this without actually working on this shit. You don't lose your shit when they show people's heads being smashed like a melon in Walking Dead. In fact you rave about that shit and when games start becoming more realistic, you whine about it being 'violent'.

The hypocrisy is high. This is exactly why I buy the Last of Us. I want a realistic zombie/action adventure game. Not some waterdown PG game.

[Bleucrunch]

Maaaan folks need to get over themselves, there are ratings for a reason, its a game set in a global zombie-like infestation....no one is baking apple pies man. Spare me this crap.

[FyBy]

Trailer was phenomenal!!!!!

[CrimsonWing69]

Ok, what exactly was controversial in this trailer that hasn't been done to even greater graphic detail in Hollywood!?

I am so over this SJW movement... geezus how long will we have to put up with this PC bulls*t till even the SJWs get tired of it!?

[Gh05t]

A long time because there is no real way of fighting back. Sony just did and they basically say Sony ENDORSES domestic violence. Which we all know not to be true but that's how it works. It's getting harder and harder to stand up without being torn down by labels like racist, Nazi, sexist, etc... Once you have a label like that people start to believe them even if it's not true. Repeat a lie enough and people will start to believe it.

Until we can find a way to really fight back this will continue to get worse as it has. The larger problem is there is no platform for your own voice because the platforms have been taken over by the PC BS.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

People complaining about violence in an M-rated game LMFAO. The graphic violence of The Last of Us, is an important part of its atmosphere and themes of struggle,brutality and fighting to survive.

[dp5212]

Who is actually upset? All I saw in the comment boards was jubilation and excitement for said game. It's either a few journalists trying to get hits or the vocal minority trying to tell everyone else how to live. Either way F-Off. I guarantee.the percentage of people who are upset is a tiny fraction compared to the people who thought it was brilliant.

[Scissorman82]

...and just like that, the word 'controversy' lost all meaning.

[The-rain-maker]

It was everything I hoped it would be !

[FernDiggidy]

Controversial?????? Outrage culture going full retard yet again.

[Prince_TFK]

Seriously? There were nothing wrong with the trailer. It was awesome. This got blown way out of proportion by the "gaming media" as usual.

[DJStotty]

people complain these days if a game isnt centred around their favourite colour, it seriously is pathetic.

Nothing graphic about it. Didnt even flinch at the clipped wings part.

[Pancit_Canton]

I would like my post apocalypse game E rated please./s

Seriously, video games are not only for little kids since the beginning of time. ESRB, PEGI, and CERO exist for that reason. Majority of the video games now a days cater more to adults and mature audience in general. The content shouldn't be censored or altered just to pleased the "snowflake" crowd.

[Skankinruby]

GTA 5, quite possibly the most offensive game ever made, is also one of the most critically acclaimed and best selling games of all time......but THAT trailer was controversial? Stupidity at its finest

[Chaosdreams]

Controversial?

*Sigh*

This world is really going to eat and spit out a lot of fragile souls.

[Platformgamer]

Violence is part of the reality.
So i'm not disturbed to see violence in a realistic-ish game.
I think that violence in games should go a lot further and be shocking

[TheColbertinator]

The sequel to an ultra violent game is ultra violent. Impossible /s

[zombiewombie]

It's amazing how people have become Jack Thompson in recent years.

[Aenea]

Wow, seriously? There's nothing to defend, people just can't take much anymore these days and love to complain about everything

[Ryuujinjakka]

Sony conference was so great, all those haters had to find something to complain. We've already debated about violence in video games 20 years ago... and 20 years after, the awnser is NO, it doesn't make people more violent than they already are.

[cfc83]

It should be more violent. Killer Ellie is bigger and stronger now, but the enviroment will be similar. If you don't like it, then tough shit.

[KickSpinFilter]

BooHoo! Looked awesome and I'm even more interested in this game now, first one moved me and still think about it to this day! I can list prob about 5 games that have have stuck with me over the years.
That's why there are different style of games, don't like it, play Mario. Don't like it play, sports games, etc.
Have you checked out what New's plays on the television. Please.

[Hanilugtehul]

Just want to tell my antivirus is blocking webattack from js coinminer download 8 and js coinmine download 6 every time i visit n4g.com . just a warning to everybody that doesnt have a antivirus program. i have been a user on n4g.com for 8 years and this warning has only show up on my computer the last month. peace:)

[Christopher]

Thanks, I'll report this to the owners.

[Ethereal]

No one said a word when several people get bashed in the face with a bat during the first game. There was ample warning that the content was graphic.

[BlakHavoc]

Don’t sugarcoat anything for these whiners ND, TLOU isn’t meant to be light hearted.

[opinionated]

Pretty sure the domestic abuse was talking about Detroit. Why have quotes and a picture about the last of us? The last of us was torture lol.. “defends domestic abuse” what kind of retard logic does it take to make a headline like that? (Not you uc, the actual article)

[ziggurcat]

I think the original title was more geared towards TLoU2.

[opinionated]

On the article or this page? The article says the same thing.

[rainslacker]

I had to read the title twice to really see what it was saying, because I wouldn't be on board with any company or person defending domestic abuse.

However, I have no problem with using such themes as a narrative device, so long as the overall story doesn't promote such things as acceptable....which I doubt will be the case in TLOU2. Druckmann is too much on the SJW side to actually be OK with promoting such a thing, and seems like if he shows violence, there is a reason to do so.....barring the standard violence of a lead character does for the sake of game play like in UC.

[opinionated]

Exactly. What I get from it, they are trying to say that by Sony defending their games they are thereby defending child abuse in the trailer. That shit is absurd. The game looked incredible and they play distraction with this BS? I would say clickbait but I think they actually believe that shit.

Our media is there for 2 things, our watch dogs and hype men. 1. They don’t watch anything, they are lap dogs most of the time. Or string along dumb shit with a copy pasted article.

2. They don’t hype or entertain anyone anymore (give a take a few good sites). They only use their platform for “controversial” garbage. They tear the industry down constantly over dumb shit. Dev diaries and trade shows like Paris Games Week tell more then any of them. We don’t need the middleman anymore honestly lol.

“How does pewdiepie have so many subs?? He’s a moron”. Maybe because he’s genuinely enthused to play a game unlike most of our media. He’s not some postmodernist emo looking to score the next self-inflated controversy.

[Hardiman]

Oh my god, really!?!? Jeez just go away I can be understanding of a lot of thiongs but stuff like this gets me. If a video game trailer upsets you then life is gonna be tough.

[subtenko]

This is the dumbest headline ever, Im not clickin on this BS or anyone with anything similar. Frikken games, movies, and novels and depict WHATEVER they want dumb*****s

Keep these people away from gaming so they dont tread on it

[trooper_]

Oh cry me a freaking river.

[RyanShutup]

This SJW shit doesn't fly anymore. Naughty Dog is one of the most progressive companies in the industry... seems as tho these perpetually offended types are even trying to eat their own now.

[hiawa23]

What controversy? Well said, A game made by adults for adults.

[Anorexorcist]

"A Game made by adults, for adults."

Sony summed their argument up very nicely. This isn't the 1980's and < anymore; Over the past 20 years or so, Videogames have been considered more of a recreational medium for adults than kids.

[Dragonscale]

If this was any other form of media no one would bat an eyelid.

[Bronxs15]

Ill be buying this game day one to support the game developers and their vision. And hope it encourages others to expand the themes and narratives in games.

[Tru_Blu]

Keep your crybaby PC crap out of gaming!!

Also I wonder if people realize this hyper sensitive PC crap is what got Trump elected in the first place. If you don't like him don't cry about stupid stuff, you're just pushing more people away with this insanity. Sorry for going political but it's true, we are sick of it.

[Silly gameAr]

What? I'm pretty sure idiots are what got Trump elected. I'm not following you here.

[XStation4pio_Pro]

good for them. video games have grown up as a mature medium at this point and these issues exist in the real world. to pretend they don't exist or have no place in story telling is doing a huge disservice to victims by denying awareness to as many groups of people as possible.

[GamingSinceForever]

On the flip side I'm willing to bet those inflicting the abuse in these games die brutally by the end. There is your justice.

[rainslacker]

In the case of TLOU, they already showed that.

In the case of Detroit, the outcome depends on the player's actions, but the abuse itself is the staging for such choices. I believe they showed the bad outcome to make people want to take action, and they ended up showing the various actions the player could take, which is basically how the game is structured.

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

I'm loving it Sony...no backing down!

[inxine]

my god, its a game. all them ppl need to chill out.

[SarcasticDuck]

Games are rated to different audiences for a reason

[gleepot]

cos for something to be defined as adult, it has to be graphic.

[BlaqMagiq1]

Last I checked games had a rating for a reason.

[Chumdiddy]

LOLGTFO

[Jayszen]

If you don't like such violence, don't buy it! The game for adults - so act like one and live and let live.

[Puertorock77]

What the hell does unnecessary graphic and disturbing depictions of violence even mean? It's entertainment. There are countless books and movies that have extreme violence.

[Gamist2dot0]

Usually, I'm not a fan of Jim Ryan's comments, but I agree with him 100%.

[GrimDragon]

It’s about dam time there’s been some pushback on the overly sensitive types.
Got to love his statement on “a game made by adults for adults.”
And the “we provide a platform for games that cater to all sides of gaming taste.”
Nice touch about his eight year old wanting a certain game meant for kids and how as adults we make the choices for ourselves and our kids.

This guy really knows how to handle the stupidity of the PC crowd. Wish more people in leadership positions in the game industry had half this guy’s intelligence.

[rainslacker]

If everyone in the industry did this out all these stupid little "controversies", then it'd probably cause a lot of this crap to disappear. When people realize that others aren't going to pander to them, they go elsewhere after some initial push back. Instead, for too long now, publishers have tried to placate these groups of people when there is no real reason to do so. To many companies are afraid that the bad press over nothing will have a negative effect on sales.

I haven't come to a conclusion on what I think of Ryan yet, but his first public statement here seems to be a damn good start. Hopefully other publishers or devs take note, and just tell those who are upset to suck it up and go elsewhere. I have more respect for the devs/pubs who stand by their work, and understand their actual audience, and don't try to change it for those who aren't in their audience.

[GrimDragon]

@rainslacker. Totally agree, great reply.

[yomfweeee]

Defends domestic abuse? Are you kidding me with that title?

[Wagz22]

This article is just insane...this crap is really getting out of hand...

[cliveo32]

Well said sony dont like it dont buy it,,I cant wait for this

[AngelicToucH]

Might as well stop producing dramas, horror movies and sad biographies cause sure as f.... art is dead to these nowadays victims wanna be.

[EatCrow]

"unnecessarily graphic and disturbing depictions of violence."
Unless thats the story they wish to tell. The walking dead has as much violence. Many movies have even more violence. ITs all about the story the devs want to tell.

Unfortunately SJW's are going after everything and everyone. THe victim hood mentality of removing everything you dont like from anywhere in the world is unforntunately going to creep into everyhting.

[HeyNowChillax]

The same moral watchdog zealots tried to ban video games back in the MK days of old. Thankfully, the ESRB was born from reason and compromise and saved the day. Leave our creative game developers, artists and fan who keep them in business alone.

[PhoenixUp]

If you can’t handle heavy material go buy a Switch

[Mr_Luke]

what?? Well, there's always something to say about everything. I just hope ND won't change ANYTHING and continue. If the game is too violent for someone, they can avoid buying it. But let everything there where it is now, that trailer was fantastic. Bah..

[Realms]

These articles are stupid made for clicks I have seen way worse graphic scenes in movies, and yes TLOUS 2 is a mature game, with mature themes bitching about the level of violence in it is like bitching about a Quintin Tarantino movie the violence is kind of the point.

[DeadManMMX]

Domestic abuse? Holy hell.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

Game that takes place mostly outside with mostly strangers who have very different goals...there are people which has mushrooms for faces...OMG DOMESTIC ABUSE?!?!?!?!

Or are they talking about Detroit a GAME WHERE YOU ARE PLAYING AS A ROBOT.

[Officialxandr]

People complaining about violence in a game that takes place in a violent game. Lol. You HAVE to be able to kill others in order to survive in this world. Kudos to PlayStation for basically telling everyone to **** off.

[Sy_Wolf]

They’re not defending the practice of domestic abuse. They’re defending the artistic vision of the developers even though it is something so dark. There’s a difference.

[GameHead85]

Why is there a concern for violence in video games, seems like, all of a sudden? They got nothin better to do?

[Yourmommasaid]

2017, year of #Overthinking

[Blu3_Berry]

If they don't like it, then do play it, don't buy it, don't watch it. Pretend it doesn't even exist. No one cares for your butthurt feelings over something so silly.

[Phantom68]

They wouldn’t be talking about this if this was a movie and not a video game. The medium need to grow up and to do so it needs to tell adult stories and deal with controversial themes as movies do.
The fact that there is a constant witch hunt when it comes to videogames shows that the medium is still very young and need few more years before it is accepted as another valid artistic way to tell story tales.

[AspiringProGenji]

Interesting title change there. Is that website trying to start an ati Sony campaign? Where is the domestic abuse in that trailer? This is ridiculous

[snoopgg]

Wo

[Teflon02]

People cry about everything.
Sad thing is, not a thing could be done to appease the idiots crying about it. Why? They'd get backlash like crazy if they were dumb and toned it down. Capcom changing camera angles made a big uproar, so imagine this. Either way I'm glad because it looks amazing, I don't even like gore or things like this in movies and games usually. But I'm playing a survival adventure game, I don't expect everything to be sugar and rainbows lol. I'm suppose to feel like I'm seeing a traumatizing world that you can't escape from. Just the trailer alone made me feel like I really understand just a bit how crazy and messed up life is for the characters. If it did that, it's done more than it need to. This is a great example for why dev's like ND are at the top with rockstar etc. They're not phased by public opinions.

[Longshot810]

I think that people are just fishing for hits at this time. An adult game thats NOT about killing zombies and aliens catching heat.....wow, great job.

[LucidIllusion]

People are weak. Led like the idiot sheep they are. Should be extinct honestly. Such a horrid race of beings. A trailer? Worse things are happening as we speak just next door to you. Mature and evolve or die like the shit scum you are.

[Matpan]

You can always trust a PC crowd to vocalize a complaint no matter what.... Even if the game was in cotton candy land,all colorful and happy and fluffy the Mothers Against Type 2 Diabetes would cry out foul play. At this point it´s better to just go on, do your thing and let complaints be complaints. So long as they don´t silence your voice, I have no issue with people whining, I just ignore them.

[Profchaos]

Detroit didn't glorify it and it didn't shy away from a harsh reality.
It's an adult game tackling adult subject matter it's powerful if done correctly and it's done perfectly in the trailer.

This trailer has me pretty excited to play the final product

And the last of us well it's a harsh world and thus level of violence and attitudes I'd be more upset if it wasn't represented like this I remember after finishing the first game having this overwhelming feeling of dispair which is a great achievement for a entertainment product to induce that in people

[gangsta_red]

But what about the children?

[Garethvk]

So you use a Last of us 2 image for an issue with Detroit?

[ShadowWolf712]

Article itself was seemingly edited a few times. They talk about both.

[Ninjamonkey82]

No one give a crap when joel was hung up by the feet last game lol and beat around :S minute you enter a woman into the fray that wants to be a lead character showing her woman hood and dare i say abit off balls stepping out off her teenage phase in a story plot and showing she can take as good as the men in the story people start to get there backs up. Sometimes i wonder if are side off the world is to far different to the idealist side off the world that would have women wear a burka and wed off to the first man picked for them. Shocking people need to get there heads out off there arse's read a few book while your at it and you will find a lot worse to cry about.Same shit happened in Tombraider lol she gets touched up by a pixel and the world collapsed.

[medman]

Damn straight.

[GamesMaster1982]

Would hate to see these pussy's survive in a real life epidemic, Jesus the world has gone soft as shit.

[tethered]

Still not nearly as bad as the actual true to life violence, rape and child molestation that has been going on in Hollywood over the last few decades. Maybe they should concentrate on that instead of fake video game violence that is created specifically for adults.

[Artemidorus]

Liberalism is a mental illness

[Vanfernal]

Here comes that SJW bulls**t again... A game rated mature has mature themes and a trailer that has a disclaimer that it's for mature audiences. If you're offended by this then just turn on the parental controls on YouTube and avoid this type of video you snowflakes!

[senorfartcushion]

Great statement

[cellfluid]

in other words aint no mario over here so keep it moving lol

[strayanalog]

"A game made by adults, to be played by adults," and criticized by children.

[xX1NORM1Xx]

thats an awesome response im sick of companies making mature games for kids we saw it with battlefield 1 that companies are making 18 rated games intended to be played by children when EA said BF1 almost didn't happen because they thought kids wouldn't know what world war 1 was...

[vivid83]

This is free marketing. Now more people are going to want to play the games they didn’t even know existed

[ClanPsi1]

'Atta boy, Ryan. Give those Social Justice Warrior c*nts your raging c*ck of common sense right down their b*tch throats.

[ElementX]

People compare movies to a video game but what they don't compare is the actual trailers. Movie trailers don't show extreme violence or even blood in most cases. Horror movie trailers will show the killer, a jump scare, etc but not the actual brutalization of the victim. Yeah there are R rated trailers called red band trailers that state the trailer is restricted. Video game trailers say may contain content unsuitable for children. I think that people understand the game is rated for mature audiences but they don't expect a trailer to be so graphic. The controversy is in the details or lack of in the"may contain" as opposed to the obvious restricted movie trailers which are only shown online or at R rated films in the United States

[rocketpanda]

No, they are defending a mature game made by its developers intended for mature audience. Silly titled headline to sensationalize a non-issue.

[PCgamer98]

Lol at the people whinning like they never seen blood, gore, and violence in a video game before.

[madpuppy]

This PC garbage is enough to make me puke....

[TheOttomatic91]

Props to Sony for sticking to their guns, I'll support these products all the way.

[Xenophon_York]

Interesting/ironic that this is hitting (roughly) around the same time as the re-release of L.A. Noire (an astonishing game)—one of the most violent (and realistic, to boot) titles I've ever played.

[ajax17]

"At the event the game trailers showed scenes of a woman being pinned down and attacked with a hammer, domestic child abuse and implied infanticide. Both clips provoked strong reactions, with critics denouncing the use of extreme violence to sell a video game."

So in their world you're only allowed to attack grown men? Bunch of fucking crybabies.

[Sweetbrandigirl]

OMFG ! If you feel the game is too violent then DON"T PLAY IT and SHUT THE HELL UP !

[leemo19]

Good for Sony sticking their ground, on this ridiculous outcry from the mental illnesses of SJW. The game isn't meant for kids, never has been, its mature rating for a reason.

[Tross]

Are people actually dumb enough to believe that just because a game features a scene with domestic violence that automatically means that Sony is advocating for that sort of thing? I'm sure the entire history of fiction up until this point is void of similar scenes. /s It's a game set in a world where fungus turns people into zombies. Chill people.

[Nate47]

This is getting so damn ridiculous...there's absolutely nothing wrong with this trailer. Just because a film/game depicts something like racist acts, violence to women etc that doesn't mean the film and/or game is racist. Nor the filmmakers/game developers. Sometimes, the point is to show the horror and how wrong those things are to bring it to light...

[J-DARKnes]

Well said Sony.

[warriorcase]

"domestic abuse"
Not really domestic abuse though is it though? It's an apocalypse scenario. Is the Author retarded?

[Knightofelemia]

I've seen games worse then a guy smacking a chick around I do it in GTA all the time. Rapelay takes the cake on being controversial so this is nothing more but a walk in the park.

[Pantz]

As a SJW I feel that these trailers had way too much violence and not enough sex appeal. Sex appeal is much nicer. Peach Beach Splash is the best.

[CyberRekkr]

Omg prolly some left wing cock suckers! You can't even tell a story without offending one of them assholes. Fuck off!

[KillBill]

Well... I don't recall anyone having an issue with the Baker family dynamics in Resident Evil: Biohazard.

[zb1ftw777]

Shameful !!

[theshredded]

If only kids wouldn't play game not suitable for their age we'd have less cancerous consumers and ear rape. I felt hesitant to try out R&C at first since it's childish when I was a kid but I tried it and it rocked my world. Now I'm talking about a lot of age difference and not just 2 yrs or something. And I face palm when adults say something is too violent or scary for them...

[C-H-E-F]

EXACTLY freaking Europeans are going crazy OMG domestic abuse, bruh, the game aint rated E for everyone. I don't see them going crazy over these nasty behind movies they got out with incest... shhhhh Law & Order be on TV for anyone to see that has far worst. GET OVER YOURSELF.

[Dfooster]

How can it be degrading to women when we are all supposedly gender neutral nowadays?. Anyway wasn't it a "woman" who was issuing out all the torture orders in TLOU2 trailer?

Surely this would imply the men with the hammer where subservient to the female gender.

Basically it's all nonsense!!

[iofhua]

It looks like a choose-your-own-adventure story like Heavy Rain was. I'm not that interested in this type of thing, and the violence wasn't too graphic all things considered. It looks like the player takes control of a strong female protagonist that fights back against the abusive father - I don't have a problem with that.

Actually this doesn't even come close to the disgusting violation of the two babes in Duke Nukem Forever. If activists actually cared about the portrayal of women in games, they would have been storming the gates of 3D Realms, Gearbox, and 2K games and mounting the heads on poles of everyone involved. What happened to them was horrific and shouldn't be watched by anybody. I can't believe they did that. It made me stop playing and wonder why? What happened to one of my favorite heroes? That wasn't heroic. Why?

That was by far the worst most pervertedly disgusting thing I've ever seen in a game, and it was released on Xbox, Playstation, PC, and Mac. Seemingly everyone was okay with it. Why?

[deividpaulo]

Another Xbox fanboy's article.

[AnubisG]

Oh you idiot journalist. You renamed the title to say Sony defends domesric abuse. You piece of shit!!! Have you no shame?

[TRGMatt]

Did it illicit a reaction? So, it acted as a hype tool? It's almost as if they know what they're doing.

[Surt]

All these SJW. Obviously Thorazine and all the meds have failed. This PC gen is the outcome of normalizing mental disorders. Time to go back to PRE Thorazine for the SJW.