Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet generated high expectations with its first trailer, but also drew some backlash over the appearance of its lead character. Tati Gabrielle, who plays the protagonist in this upcoming PlayStation title, is already preparing herself mentally for the criticism and potential online abuse.
This response may sound excessive, but history suggests otherwise. Back in 2020, The Last of Us Part II sparked a wave of hostility, with fans taking to social media to insult and threaten the game’s actors and creative team.
If reactions to Intergalactic’s trailer are any indication, the new game could be headed down a similar path. That’s why Gabrielle says she’s attended mental “bootcamp” to handle any hate that might come her way.
Tati Gabrielle Is Ready for the Critics
We still don’t know much about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, but we do know it follows a bounty hunter named Jordan A. Mun—played by Gabrielle. The game is set thousands of years in the future, in an alternate timeline where space travel progressed heavily during the 1980s.
This isn’t the actress’s first brush with the gaming world. She portrayed Braddock in the Uncharted live-action movie and currently appears as Nora in HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2.
Still, this marks her first time performing as a lead character in a video game.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 29-year-old actress reflected on her time on the HBO series and opened up about Intergalactic, addressing the early controversy surrounding the Naughty Dog project.
Gabrielle recalled the hate campaigns that targeted The Last of Us Part II cast members Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson, and Troy Baker, and revealed that she’s been working closely with director Neil Druckmann to prepare for a similar situation.
“I got a lot of love, but there was a lot of hate over me being a woman, me being a woman of color, me having my head shaved, all these things that I didn’t even actually initially see (I’m out of the social media zeitgeist for that reason), but once I did, Neil was like, ‘Ignore it. No matter what, me and you, we’re going to make something beautiful. We’re going to make something that we’re proud of.'”
“Neil’s been bootcamp-ing me,” she added.
What Drives Intergalactic
Neil Druckmann has hinted that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet won’t stir as much controversy as The Last of Us, mainly because of its different themes. While he’s remained vague about the plot, he has confirmed that the game explores faith and religion.
Gabrielle elaborated a bit on the subject:
“The question of faith is not black and white. When you initially think of faith, you think of religion, which is a part of it, but there’s also faith in oneself. There’s faith in your environment or your community. What are your beliefs? What are the things that you hope for? Faith sounds flowery, but we all experience it day in and day out. What is your reason for waking up?”
It’s too early to know for sure whether Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will face the same level of outrage, but hundreds of online critics have already labeled the game “too woke” simply because Jordan A. Mun is the lead character.
What do you think about this controversy? Let us know your opinion in the comments.