The recent majorThe Last of Us Part 2leak has once again started a conversation about online spoilers. Specifically, a conversation about how to avoid them and how game developers and publishers can help fans do so. Perhaps not coincidentally, Twitter recently launched a new feature that might help. And game developers likeNaughty Dogare already using it so that their Twitter followers don’t risk getting spoiled.
Twitter’s new feature isn’t a revolution, but it is a surprisingly big change. Now, whenTwitterusers make a post, they’re able to select who is able to reply. The options include everyone, followers of the account, or only individuals mentioned in the tweet. This allows the account to allow only semi-verified accounts to reply or even no one, if no one is mentioned in the tweet. This way, game developers can post news and announcements without worries that spoilers will be in their replies.
RELATED:Sony Patents Way to Block Spoilers
As mentioned, Naughty Dog has already started using this feature since its implementation. While only one tweet has been made, a fun post forThe Last of Us Part 2, the tweet’s replies were limited to only those mentioned in the tweet itself. Since no one was mentioned in the tweet, there can be no replies. Twitter users can click on the post so that they can see its full image without worrying about accidentally seeing a spoiler.
Some might worry that this feature could lead to low engagement – low interaction with the tweet in terms of clicks, likes, and retweets. But the restricted tweet has 4.4 thousand retweets and almost 30 thousand likes less than a day later. That’s more than double the account’s second most recent tweet has. It’s safe to sayThe Last of Usfansare still engaging.
Notably, Naughty Dog seems to be alone in its decision to restrict some tweets' replies. Theofficial PlayStation Twitter account, for example, has posted 11 times in the past 24 hours and none of them have restricted replies. None of the tweets are aboutThe Last of Us Part 2, to be fair. It shows that this feature may only be used even in very specific situations where spoilers are likely. But it also means that there’s a good chance spoilers will still leak through official channels.
Perhaps what’s necessary is for accounts likePlayStationand others to acclimate to the opportunities the new restrictions provide. They’ll need to evaluate whether their restricted tweets lose engagement compared to non-restricted. Suffice to say, most tweets don’t really need replies. But companies like PlayStation may not care, spoilers or otherwise, so long as it still leads to likes and retweets.
