As youâd expect given the fact sheâs one of the two main characters in the game, teenage girl Ellie features prominently on the cover to Naughty Dogâs The Last of Us. Indeed, sheâs got star billing.
But this being video games, an industry where those responsible for selling a game can sometimes be morons and/or cowards, that wasnât a sure thing. In an interview with VG247, Ashley Johnson, the actress who plays Ellie in the game, said âI feel like they donât put women on the covers because theyâre afraid that it wonât sell. Itâs all gamers really knowâand I donât want to be sexist by any meansâbut I get the feeling, generally, that they think games wonât sell as well with a woman on the cover, compared to some badass dude on the front.â
The gameâs creative director, Neil Druckmann, then adds âI agree with what Ashley said. I believe thereâs a misconception that if you put a girl or a woman on the cover, the game will sell less. I know Iâve been in discussions where weâve been asked to push Ellie to the back and everyone at Naughty Dog just flat-out refused.â
Right, because putting a white man with a gun on the cover will really help your game stand out.
UPDATE â I read âweâve been asked to push Ellie to the backâ to mean the back cover, but I guess it could mean the back of the shot on the front (ie swapping places with Joel, the gameâs main character). Which would still be sucky, only slightly less sucky. Iâve changed the headline to suit.
