Naughty Dog and Sony have come under fire for the use of a “True Faith” cover in The Last of Us Part II’s TV spot. The shorter and extended versions of the commercial feature Ellie singing bits of the song. However, it seems the track that backs the trailer was used without giving credit or compensation to the original cover’s singer, Anna-Lynne Williams.
According to Williams, a singer and songwriter from Seattle, the version of the song in Part II’s TV spots directly copies her cover of “True Faith.” Whomever sings the trailer’s iteration, Williams claims, actually sings original lyrics that she wrote for a 2010 rendition of the New Order classic. The performer shared her concerns in a Twitter post that’s since been deleted. Her tweet read as follows (via Wccftech):
Hey, are you aware that the True Faith cover you put in your The Last of Us Part II trailer is a replica of my cover that came out 10 years ago? I wrote original parts not in the original song that are copied exactly by whoever covered it. I am heartbroken.
Your fans seem to have noticed because they’re commenting on my old video thinking it’s the same song. Credit? Compensation? At 3:30 in my song in particular is the vocal part that I wrote which is featured in your trailer exactly.
Neither Sony nor Naughty Dog have publicly responded to Williams’ claims, though it appears the 30-second TV spot has been set to private on YouTube. The extended commercial remains available to view with no trouble on PlayStation’s official channel, however.
This isn’t The Last of Us‘ first run in with allegations of failing to properly credit an artist. The first game featured cartographer Cameron Booth’s copyrighted map of Boston’s subway system without permission. Booth later reported both parties settled the matter amicably. Hopefully, a similar resolution is reached with Williams’ complaint.
The Last of Us Part II launches on June 19th.
[Source via Wccftech]
