Asmongold hits back as critics mock his appearance after “ugly” female game leads take

Popular Twitch streamer Asmongold is hitting back after his opinions on “ugly female leads” in video games sparked criticism against him and his own appearance.

On December 16, Asmongold uploaded a YouTube video discussing the controversy around an upcoming game announced at the 2024 Game Awards: Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

Both Intergalactic and the forthcoming Witcher 4 are on the receiving end of online discourse as some players debate the main characters — women whose physical appearances have been hotly contested, with critics labeling them “ugly.”

Asmongold argued that Intergalactic, specifically, has a majority male player base who wants to feel represented by and relate to the characters they play, saying a female lead lacking in traditional beauty isn’t going to attract the title’s desired customers.

“I think the mindset of putting something into a game that players actively don’t like is actually more important than the enjoyment of the customer — I think that mindset is going to permeate the entire game,” he said.

The streamer made it clear he has no issue with CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 4, saving his criticism for Naughty Dog’s forthcoming space-faring game.

Asmongold doubles down despite backlash over Intergalactic criticism

It wasn’t long before netizens hit back at Asmon’s opinion on the subject, with many pointing out the streamer’s own looks in retaliation.

Asmon, however, is holding his ground, saying he wouldn’t want to play a character who looked like himself in a game and would prefer to pilot a traditionally attractive character.

“I always find this funny: people want to call me ugly, [but] I’m not trying to put myself in the f*cking game! Like, if I saw a character that looked like me in a video game, I’d say, ‘Change it.’ I don’t even want to be that!” he laughed.

“People like this can cry and b*tch, and get mad, and complain that I am this or that thing. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be right.

“And everybody can call me ugly. Everybody can call me racist. Everybody can say I’m a terrible person. But nobody is saying I’m wrong. And so, we sit around, and we think about this. I’m just observing this.”

Asmon’s take was also flamed by fellow Twitch streamer Hasan, who mocked players whose enjoyment of a game hinged on whether or not they found a character “fappable” or not.

“Not everything has to be instant gratification. You don’t have to hyper-sexualize every female character … You should be ashamed to even have those thoughts,” Hasan said.

Both The Witcher 4 and Intergalactic have been targeted by gamers wanting to boycott the titles judging by their trailers, alone, with some even debating whether or not Ciri should be the main character in the series’ next installment.