Despite how some might have felt about Sony’s performance at Paris Games Week on Monday, there’s no doubt that the highlight of the show was the new trailer for The Last of Us Part 2. Even though the trailer generated a lot of attention (as expected), not all of it is good and many argue that the violence featured in it lacked context and was unnecessary.
Here is the trailer (in case you need a refresher):
Now, Jim Ryan, President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, has spoken out in defense of the trailer in an interview with The Telegraph, saying that if you have an issue with the game’s theme then you probably need to grow up or in his own words: “The Last of Us is a game made by adults to be played by adults.”
When questioned about the reaction to the trailer, Ryan stated:
“The Last of Us obviously is a game made by adults to be played by adults. I should never prejudge this but it will probably be rated 18, I think it’s fair to say. And there’s that market for those people who like that sort of game. Adults who like that sort of game…”
“I think a platform holder provides a platform and the people who make games, whether they’re our own studios or third-party publishers, they bring the content to the platform. We provide the platform. We have to ensure the right content is played by the right people – of appropriate ages in particular. I thought The Last of Us Part 2 was a great way to end the show and I feel very good about it.”
This led to the question of context. As some will tell you, a major issue for many wasn’t just that the trailer was violent, but that it just sort of happened. We were “forced” to see a graphic scene that had nothing leading up to it or any real explanation of what was going on.
When questioned about this and whether video game publishers have a responsibility to couch such content in a different way, Ryan responded:
“I think what we’re trying to do is to portray qualities of the various games we had on show. And I think it is difficult when you have a clip of four or five minutes to synthesise a gameplay experience that can be measured in the tens of hours.
“And, again, the studio was seeking to portray a game that will be rated as suitable for adults to play and that’s what we did.”
Lastly, Ryan doubled down on his defense of the trailer at the conclusion of the interview, saying Naughty Dog made no errors in showing it off at the Media Showcase.
Check out the full interview here.
