Sony Just Dropped A New Trailer For Its Game Of The Year Contender

There are many great titles up for Game of the Year at The Game Awards this year, but Sony's The Last of Us Part 2 is a strong contender, earning the most nominations total of any game in the running. In light of the renewed attention that Naughty Dog's action-survival feature has received, Sony released a new trailer highlighting Abby, pushing the spotlight back onto one of the story's most divisive characters.

Controversy has never been far from the conversation surrounding The Last of Us Part 2, and Abby has been central to that dialogue before the game even hit shelves in June 2020. After the game was delayed first to avoid crunch time and then again to accommodate for the COVID-19 pandemic, massive parts of the story were spoiled online, including some of Abby's interactions with the main character, Ellie. A lack of context and fan sentiment for Ellie sparked an intense backlash towards Abby.

The community's response towards Abby didn't necessarily improve upon the game's release. While The Last of Us Part 2 objectively had an overwhelmingly positive critical reception, digging past the scores awarded by reviewers revealed the deeply complicated relationships that critics and gamers were discovering with the game. A review for The Verge that ultimately labels the game "great" opens with the line "The Last of Us Part 2 isn't fun." The game's developers anticipated this response, as seen when game director Neil Druckmann told Wired that "some players hate the game."

The Last of Us Part 2's sweep of nominations at The Game Awards seems like vindication for Sony and Naughty Dog for creating a morally challenging story that has resonated with gamers. After all, the title took in 10 nominations, the most of any game, including the big three, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Art Direction. The game also received two nominations in the Best Performance category, one for Ashley Johnson as Ellie and another for Laura Bailey as the controversial Abby at the center of today's new trailer.

Whatever the reasoning behind Sony's decision to highlight one of the most divisive components of a divisive game, they did little to show their hand in the announcement that accompanied the video. Scott Lowe, Naughty Dog's communication manager, instead speaks to the humbling experience of the fan and industry response to The Last of Us Part 2's story and characters. All that Lowe says about Abby, and the trailer, is that it shows her "search for vengeance and the devastating repercussions that follow."

Regardless of whether you feel that The Last of Us Part 2 deserves to win, you may want to check out The Game Awards on Dec. 10.