Public attention was immediately captivated by the announcement of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards. The initial excitement, however, quickly turned into a storm of criticism.

The debate primarily focused on the game's protagonist and its overarching theme, with some members of the public accusing the game of pushing an "agenda".

The situation intensified following statements from Neil Druckmann and Tati Gabriel, who attempted to defend the game and quell the unrest. Unfortunately, their comments had the opposite effect, further fueling the controversy.

Even after 17 days, the wave of criticism shows no signs of abating. The announcement trailer has polarized the audience, amassing a significant number of "dislikes" on YouTube. On the official PlayStation channel, the dislikes surpassed 260,000, dwarfing the 90,000 likes. The situation is similarly dire on the Naughty Dog channel, where over 170,000 dislikes overshadow the 70,000 likes. In an effort to curb the escalating backlash, comments on the video were disabled, yet the debate has continued to rage across various social media platforms.

Despite these initial setbacks, the future of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet remains uncertain but not hopeless. Naughty Dog has a proven track record of transforming early criticism into eventual success. There is still a chance for the game to defy expectations and win over its audience.

This incident underscores a significant challenge for major studios: navigating the increasingly demanding expectations of their audience.