In the latest example of how awful parts of the gaming community can be, a Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores vocalist is receiving abuse purely because of where her voice is used in the soundtrack. If you were following the review bombing of the DLC and the reasons why, you can probably guess which endgame scene the abuse relates to. Julie Elven, a soundtrack vocalist, has now taken to Twitter to share her experiences of the abusive messages she receives.
She said: "Since Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores came out in April, I've continuously received angry DMs from gamers, as my vocals are featured on a scene in the DLC that they see as "LGBTQ propaganda". Receiving puking emojis, "God won't forgive you", "You destroyed Horizon" & more." Elven wouldn't have had any influence over the story of Burning Shores, as Guerrilla Games would have handled that side of development. To direct abuse at a vocalist lending her voice to the project is completely unacceptable.
Julie Elven goes on to say that while the positive messages she receives far outweigh any abusive posts, "the continuous hateful DMs show how much still needs to change. Love is love. Story-wise, this scene made so much sense and I continue to stand with Guerrilla and am proud to be a part of it". Thankfully, Elven says she's not letting the messages get to her, "but it's a reminder how much still needs to change".