The Last of Us 2 is one of the highest-rated and best-selling games of the year. However, it has not been without its controversies, with some fans upset over how things went down during The Last of Us 2's plot, while Naughty Dog has been criticized for utilizing crunch during the game's development. Despite these controversies, The Last of Us 2 swept The Game Awards 2020, winning big awards including Game of the Year. This has caused even more controversy, which has now been addressed by Game Awards host Geoff Keighley.
In an interview with Game Informer, Keighley discussed the ongoing Last of Us 2 controversies. One of the big ones coming out of The Game Awards 2020 was that Last of Us 2 won the award for Best Direction even though the game was developed by employees who had to crunch, which some perceive as a failure of the game's director and management. Keighley said that the discussion around this is "a healthy conversation to have," but pushed back on crunch culture being a reason for why a game can't be eligible for a certain award.
Keighley described the situation as a "slippery slope," and would rather say that everything is eligible, leaving it up to the people involved in The Game Awards voting to decide what should be nominated and what should win. Keighley added that he is open to a discussion about it but is unsure how to approach the situation at this time.
In the Game Informer interview, Keighley also addressed the accusations that he was somehow "paid off" by Naughty Dog to give The Last of Us 2 all of its wins. Keighley has stressed that he does not nominate the games that are up for awards at The Game Awards, and is not involved in selecting the winners either. However, Keighley revealed that his personal Game of the Year wasn't even The Last of Us 2, but rather Half-Life: Alyx, which was not even nominated for the coveted Game of the Year award.
Keighley pointed out how he has faced accusations of bias at The Game Awards in the past, most notably in regards to Death Stranding's significant presence at The Game Awards 2019. Keighley's friendship with Death Stranding director Hideo Kojima is well-documented, and not only that, but Keighley himself appears in the game as an NPC, which led some to believe that the awards would be rigged in its favor. While Death Stranding did win a couple of awards that year, the Game of the Year honor ultimately went to FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
The Game Awards continue to evolve from one year to the next, as viewer feedback helps shape the show. With The Game Awards 2020 smashing viewership records, it will be interesting to see how Keighley ups the ante for next year's event.
The Last of Us 2 is out now, exclusively for PS4.
Source: Game Informer