The unveiling of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards immediately captured public attention, but this initial enthusiasm quickly morphed into widespread criticism.

The controversy focused on the game's protagonist and themes, with some accusing the developers of pushing a specific "agenda."

Statements from Neil Druckmann and Tati Gabriel, intended to quell the backlash, only fueled the fire, intensifying the controversy.

Even seventeen days later, the criticism continues unabated. The announcement trailer proved deeply divisive, racking up an impressive number of dislikes on YouTube. On the official PlayStation channel, dislikes surpassed 260,000, dwarfing the 90,000 likes. The Naughty Dog channel fared no better, with over 170,000 dislikes outnumbering the 70,000 likes. Comments on the videos were disabled in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, but the debate has migrated to other platforms, dominating social media discussions.

Despite this rocky start, the future of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet remains uncertain. Naughty Dog has a history of transforming initial negative reception into eventual success, and the game still has the potential to defy expectations.

However, this incident underscores a significant challenge for large game studios: the increasing difficulty of managing the demands of a highly critical and vocal audience.