Naughty Dog addresses harassment by The Last of Us fans

A few days ago Gamereactor reported that The Last of Us: Part II voice actor Laura Bailey had received a good deal of hate mail and death threats. Bailey plays Abby in Naughty Dog's latest game and some seem to not understand that there's a difference between character and the actor portraying that character.

The game's director Neil Druckmann posted a selection of very hateful comments he had received via Twitteras well.

"You can love or hate the game and share your thoughts about it. Unfortunately too many of the messages I've been getting are vile, hateful, & violent. Here are just a handful of them (feel it's important to expose.) Trigger Warning: transphobic, homophobic, anti-Semitic, etc."

According to VG247, other members of Naughty Dog's staff have been targeted as well with hate mail, harassment and threats. The studio has now issued a statement making it clear that valid criticism is OK, but threatening staff's personal safety is not.

"Although we welcome critical discussion, we condemn any form of harassment or threats directed towards our team and cast. Their safety is our top priority, but we must all work together to root out this type of behavior and maintain a constructive and compassionate discourse."