The writer made a simple tweet on the matter.
Earlier this week, HBO confirmed that it was making a TV series based off of the hit gaming series The Last of Us. The upcoming series even managed to get the game’s writer and creative director, Neil Druckmann on board.
With a gaming series so beloved, many fans are hoping that it will translate well onto TV screens, but others were worried that the writers may abandon Ellie’s sexuality.
In DLC for the original game, The Last of Us: Left Behind, Ellie is seen kissing childhood friend, Riley. And in a trailer for The Last of Us Part II, she is seen kissing another girl, Dina.
Speaking about Ellie’s sexuality to IGN, the game’s co-writer Hayley Gross simply stated: “Ellie is gay.”
She then added: “Ellie was born gay. This is just who she is. And to explore who she is as a teenager and as an adult, it wouldn’t be honoring her character to hide some facet of herself.”
Engaging with fans on Twitter, producer and writer for the show, Craig Mazin was asked: “Y’all better keep the gay gay. Pls and thank you. Do not erase that representation pls. Anyways, I’m so excited for this!”
Mazin had a very simple response, in which he wrote: “You have my word.”
LGBTQ characters and narratives are becoming more mainstream in the video game industry, with GLAAD introducing a new media award for video games that promote LGBTQ inclusivity.
Last year, DONTNOD announced their latest game, Tell Me Why, and revealed that it would feature a trans man, Tyler, as one of the main protagonists.
Nick Adams, the Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, praised the way that both Microsoft and DONTNOD approached the character of Tyler. “Microsoft and DONTNOD have approached Tyler with a real commitment to authenticity,” he said.
“Tyler is a fully-realized, endearing character, whose story is not reduced to simplistic trans tropes. Creating a playable lead trans character – and taking such care to get it right – raises the bar for future LGBTQ inclusion in gaming.”
Related: Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be first game in series to offer genderless character options
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