Naughty Dog "Flat-Out Refused" to Change Last of Us Cover

[FootloosePhoenix]

Some people consider this controversial?

Oh Internet, you never cease to disgust me. By the headline though, it sounded like Naughty Dog was making an ass of themselves. Damn. But in all seriousness, good for you, Naughty Dog. Between this and replaying the Jak and Daxter games lately, I'm starting to respect you again. So here's hoping The Last of Us doesn't suck.

Captcha: Kindness of strangers. Hardly in this case, Captcha. Hardly indeed.

 

[Revolutionary]

Not that it's particularly relevant but I'm pretty sure that ninja theory proved conclusively you don't need a male dominated cover to sell well. EDIT: Team Ninja not Ninja Theory.

Spoiler: If you catch my drift

 

[The_Waspman]

This is fucking bullshit! What on earth makes them think that game geeks - a stereotypically awkward and lonely bunch - want to buy games with big strapping men on the cover, as opposed to scantily dressed chicks with boobs the size of their head?

Take X-Blades for instance. I know for a fact I would not have bought that game if it was some dude on the cover with his ass hanging out. Thats just crazy.

 

[EHKOS]

I'm worried about Naughty Dog. First they don't release Uncharted Racing, now they move on to a game where a racing game wouldn't fit.

Spoiler: For those of you who don't get the joke

I thought of that joke so long ago, shame I didn't act on it and make that picture.

OT: Good, ND is one of those studios that broke a lot of molds, and I'm glad they can continue being their own person other than an industry slave.

 

[Beautiful End]

Well, I don't see the problem with this cover. Bioshock's case was more of having only the main lead with guns and looking badass, as if rescuing damsels in distress was his full time job. This cover is fine; even if they had just featured the main lead, he looks normal, like an average guy trying to survive in the middle of an urban jungle. Literally.

So I'm fine with it. I'm a fan of Naughty Dog so...kudos!

 

[Terramax]

Dear Escapist,

May I ask for where this box art has apparently caused controversy? I haven't heard or seen anything of the sort.

Or was it just two people on a single forum kicking up a fuss?

Because at the moment, I'm under the impression that this isn't news, but just some way of Naughty Dog plugging some publicity on this site.

 

[Robot Number V]

This is a controversy now? Okay.

I'm pretty sure you're the first person to call it that.

OT:...Yeah, this a much smaller deal then all these PR and marketing folks like to believe. I don't think people who make game-buying decisions based on box art alone take up a whole lot of room on the "customers" pie chart.

 

[BelmontWolf]

2 words...Tomb Raider...

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

Why are people flipping out over this? The cover suits the game nicely and doesn't fall into the cliched trappings of other generic video game box art.

 

[Doclector]

Gotta admit, this kind of seems like it's trying to capitalise on the issues about bioshock infinite's cover. Not the cover itself of course, just naughty dog saying this. It's like "HEY! LOOK AT US! WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SOMETHING MORE THAN A GENERIC SHOOTER AND WE'RE PREPARED TO HAVE A COVER THAT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A GENERIC SHOOTER, UNLIKE THOSE OTHER GUYS!"

I'm not saying naughty dog are bad, I can't blame them for taking such an opportunity to point it out, but that's how it comes across.

At the same time, I feel the need to say that I really don't have a problem with the bioshock infinite cover. Generic? As hell. Still pretty cool? Yep.

I look at it this way: People who know what bioshock infinite's really going for, who have been following infinite for ages, will already buy the game, meaning irrational don't need to aim for them. Thus the generic cover. Hopefully, someone suckered in by such a cover will take the plunge with the game, and find a better experience than they expected.

It's a decision geared towards profit, sure, but I don't think it's one that deserves the backlash it's got.

 

[sam13lfc]

Are you kidding? There are actually people who would sway away from buying a game because it has a girl on the front? I hope that's not true...

 

[sam13lfc]

2 words...Tomb Raider...

Yep, and Mirror's Edge, Bayonetta, one of the ME3 cases too

 

[zehydra]

Really? People actually think a macho male on the front is what sells?

No! How could they even think that... Scantily clad ladies with large breasts is what sells!!

 

[antipunt]

Controversy?...wha?...

>_>

(anime watchers don't get this..)

 

[Vault101]

Are you kidding? There are actually people who would sway away from buying a game because it has a girl on the front? I hope that's not true...

I think if you were too look at it as some videogame consumer hivemind...then sort of yes (but not sure as there's no real data on that kind of thing)

 

[90sgamer]

There's still a man in a stance reminiscent of soldiers walking to the camera looking off in the distance. It's still a main characters focused image which is much more of an epidemic than male dominance in video game covers. I'm sick of just characters on a cover like the photoshop face collage plague.

What do you want to see on the cover then?