Horizon Forbidden West debuted in 2022 to great reception from players and critics. However, in April of this year, it stirred up controversy with the release of Burning Shores, its latest expansion that expands the story, introduces new characters and adds an unexplored area. The reason? The inclusion of a sequence that many players labeled as LGBT+ propaganda.
Now, how did the developers react to the violent reaction from a sector of the community?
The downloadable content features Seyka, a secondary character who gains significant importance throughout the story. During the final moments, players can choose a romantic option in which Aloy and her new travel companion express their feelings and kiss.
This sequence angered a portion of the community. Following the release of the Burning Shores expansion, the PlayStation title developed by Guerrilla Games became a target of review bombing on Metacritic, and the vocalist involved in the project received hateful messages from toxic players.
How did the creatives of Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores react to the homophobic comments?
While the negative reaction may seem dominant on the internet, the reality might be different. In a recent interview with VGC, Narrative Director Ben McCaw and Lead Writer Annie Kitain extensively discussed the Horizon franchise and its future. At one point in the conversation, they addressed the controversy of the LGBT+ kiss.
Firstly, Annie Kitain states that Aloy and Seyka's relationship was conceived from the beginning as they believed it was a crucial element for the protagonist's development. Then, Ben McCaw adds to the response, ensuring that Seyka was the perfect partner for Aloy.
Regarding the homophobic comments that emerged after the release, the lead writer affirmed that they always aim to create something convincing and emotionally compelling.
“For people who have actually played the game, we were always interested in hearing about those experiences and those thoughts and feedback. But for people who didn’t play the game, or who are just trying to be negative online, we find that pretty easy to ignore”, Annie Kitain said.
“We love getting feedback from our fans. We love it when they have constructive feedback about this or that. And we’re perfectly happy when they say they don’t like this or that, with regard to virtually any aspect of the game that they’ve really thought about. But yeah, when there’s just this kind of blatant negativity, I personally find it pretty easy to just realize that this is a mindset I can never really jive with”, said the narrative director.
Finally, Ben McCaw asserts that despite the vocal minority who criticized Aloy and Seyka's kiss, they are happy with the positive reaction from the majority of fans.
But tell us, do you agree with the creatives' comments? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments.
Horizon Forbidden West is now available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Click this link to read more news related to it.
Comments
Best
New