As you’d expect given the fact she’s one of the two main characters in the game, teenage girl Ellie features prominently on the cover to Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us. Indeed, she’s 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 wasn’t a sure thing. In an interview with VG247, Ashley Johnson, the actress who plays Ellie in the game, said “I feel like they don’t put women on the covers because they’re afraid that it won’t sell. It’s all gamers really know — and I don’t want to be sexist by any means — but I get the feeling, generally, that they think game’s won’t sell as well with a woman on the cover, compared to some badass dude on the front.”
The game’s creative director, Neil Druckmann, then adds “I agree with what Ashley said. I believe there’s a misconception that if you put a girl or a woman on the cover, the game will sell less. I know I’ve been in discussions where we’ve been asked to push Ellie to the back and everyone at Naughty Dog just flat-out refused.”
Right, because putting a white man with a gun on the cover will really help your game stand out.
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