IFP kicked off Day 1 of its sixteenth season on October 24 at Mehboob Studios, Mumbai, with a packed lineup of conversations spanning creativity, culture, and ideas that challenge conventional thinking. Among its key sessions, acclaimed screenwriter and The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin joined audiences virtually for a candid and insightful AMA. In a conversation with Patrick Graham, Craig addressed the intense online backlash surrounding The Last of Us Part II, reflecting on how leaks, misinformation, and toxic fan reactions created a storm around the game, and how that hostility extended to the people bringing its characters to life.
Looking back at the controversy, Craig described it as a “perfect storm”, explaining how the pandemic, the aftermath of Gamergate, and leaked story details converged to fuel the backlash. He said, “I think everybody was probably a bit surprised by the extent of what happened there. It was kind of a perfect storm when that video game came out because it was in the midst of the pandemic. It was coming shortly after the kind of supernova of Gamergate, which was a cultural shift and created a lot of online rhetoric, I guess I’ll put it in the most polite terms. And then there was a leak, and the leak was sort of a bit confusing.”
He went on to explain how the leaked information and assumptions about Abby’s character contributed to the controversy, adding, “I felt terrible for Neil Druckmann, for all the people at Naughty Dog, and for the actors who were getting a lot of hatred, which is crazy. To yell at actors for a character they portray is insane.”
Craig also reflected on the difference between online outrage and the broader audience response to the game. “The internet tends to magnify voices, amplify voices, but as it turns out, The Last of Us Part II sold a whole lot of copies, made a whole lot of money, was Game of the Year, and so many people feel so strongly about it.”
He concluded by bringing the conversation back to the audience the creators hope to reach, saying, “When it comes to The Last of Us, we’ve connected with tens of millions of people around the world. So I’ll sort of keep aiming at those people, I guess, and hopefully make them happy.”
From a 50-hour filmmaking challenge that began in 2011 to a multidisciplinary creative platform bringing creators from across the world together, IFP brings the 16th season with the same idea at its heart: make something, put it out into the world, and see where it takes you.
Building on 15 glorious editions, IFP Season 16 continues to be a meeting ground for the people making, shaping, and reimagining culture across creative disciplines!
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