Naughty Dog Uses New Twitter Feature to Avoid The Last of Us Part II Spoilers

The Last of Us Part II developer Naughty Dog used Twitter’s new feature to block replies in its most recent tweet, most likely as a means to stop the spread of spoilers on the upcoming game.

In a tweet posted Thursday, Naughty Dog showed a comparison shot of the same town, accompanied by the words, “Pick up where we left off on June 19. #TheLastOfUsPartII.” Whereas previous replies Naughty Dog’s tweets have been a landmine of spoilers for the upcoming sequel after hackers released major story leaks online, the newest tweet is spoiler-free because, well, there aren’t any replies at all.

Pick up where we left off on June 19. #TheLastOfUsPartIIpic.twitter.com/nFa26GPuw9

— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) May 21, 2020

This follows a new feature Twitter rolled out the same day, where a small percentage of users are now able to restrict who can reply to their tweets to either those the account follows or just those mentioned in the tweet. Naughty Dog opted for the latter option in their most recent post, and since it didn’t mention anyone, nobody can directly reply.

Although there are valid concerns of the feature potentially promoting echo chambers, for good or for ill, and otherwise making productive communication more difficult for some, this seems like an appropriate use of it. It protects people who want to see Naughty Dog’s pre-release marketing the opportunity to do so without inadvertently running into spoilers or vitriol, and it’s not as if the reply section was a haven of intellectual discussion. If you want to see those spoilers, there are plenty of other places online to do so.

The Last of Us Part II launches June 19 on PlayStation 4. For more on the game, check out its limited edition console and our takes on its representations of violence and queerness.