Horizon Forbidden West Vocalist Harassed By Anti-LGBTQ Community Following DLC Release

Soundtrack vocalist Julie Elven has revealed that she has got many hateful messages since the launch of Horizon Forbidden West‘s Burning Shores expansion. The artist said that gamers have accused her of spreading “LGBTQ propaganda” as her vocals are featured in the DLC’s romantic scene. However, she is unfazed by this hate and says that she stands with developer Guerrilla on this story decision.

Elven disclosed all of this in a Twitter thread on her official account. She went on to explain that this thread was not about the DMs in which people expressed they didn’t like the story. But, it was about the distasteful comments, even though they don’t bother her too much. The Horizon Forbidden West soundtrack vocalist said that this is just a reminder of how much still needs to change. 

Since #HorizonForbiddenWest #BurningShores 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.

— Julie Elven 🎶 (@JulieElvenMusic) May 15, 2023

Following the tweet, Julie Elven mentioned that she saw an influx of positive comments and support from the community. However, the negative DMs did not stop, even if the reassuring messages did outweigh them. In addition, the vocalist also uncovered the type of abhorrent messages she received from Horizon Forbidden West players. As per Elven, the DMs ranged from puking emojis to blaming her for destroying Horzion.

If you are unaware of the scene in question, it concerns Aloy kissing Queen tribe member Seyka near the end. Julie Elven provided vocals for the music playing in this scene and resultantly was at the end of this abuse. Like most soundtrack vocalists, she did not make any story decisions on Horizon Forbidden West. Therefore, not only are the hateful DMs very homophobic, but also extremely stupid. 

Furthermore, pursuing a romantic relationship is also optional in the Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores DLC. After Seyka tells Aloy how she feels, the players can either reciprocate or just turn her down. Whatever you choose, the pair part at the end of the cutscene and go their separate ways. Hence, the “LGBTQ propaganda” allegations don’t make a lot of sense here. 

Despite the hatred towards Horizon Forbidden West and its DLC, the game has been a raging success. Since its release in February 2022, the action-adventure title has sold 8.4 million copies worldwide. The PlayStation exclusive accounted for over half a million sales in the UK alone and topped charts in the country. Overall, the game’s sales pushed the Horizon franchise to an amazing 32 million copies sold worldwide.

Sony and developer Guerrilla Games released the Burning Shores expansion on April 19, 2023. Unlike the base game, this DLC only came out on the PlayStation 5 and not on the PlayStation 4. However, it did receive overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics just like the sequel. The company hasn’t released the title’s sales figures after the release of this DLC as of yet.

But considering the favorable reception and record-breaking PS5 sales it probably won’t be too bad. Homophobia is a major problem in modern gaming culture and every other form of media. Hopefully, as major AAA titles like Horizon Forbidden West include more diverse stories, this problem decreases.