The Stellar Blade controversy, explored

Ever since its release, Stellar Blade has been caught in the net of the evergoing war between contrasting idealisms in the gaming industry. From the early days of the Stellar Blade controversy, a group of individuals has been holding the game on a pedestal and claiming it to be a slap on the increasing ‘realistic standards’ in gaming.

On the other hand, a large portion of the demographic criticized the overly provocative designs of the protagonist and her outfits, claiming it to be unnecessary ‘fanservice.’

Meanwhile, some players just don’t care about any of this and simply enjoy the title for its gameplay and story. So how did these groups clash with each other and did it affect the title in any way? Let’s find out more.

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What is the Stellar Blade controversy?

In the last few years, the character models in gaming have changed significantly, especially for women. We have come a long way from the teeny-tiny waists and metal bikini armors. While this shift in the approach of character modeling has become the norm in modern-day gaming, it upset a group of gamers who didn't approve of the transition.

Their sense was simple; gaming is a form of escapism, and if the characters are modeled to such realistic standards, it would affect the immersion. However, this argument was never directed towards any male characters. The criticism was solely focused on female NPCs and protagonists.

When Stellar Blade was released, featuring a conventionally attractive female lead, with a plethora of scanty outfits to dress her up, this group soon held the title on a pedestal, initiating the Stellar Blade controversy. A cultural war broke out surrounding the game and soon, political ideologies were thrown into the debate.

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Dev’s response to the Stellar Blade controversy

Many also criticized the design of the lead character EVE, claiming even though she has the physics of a grown woman, her face is like that of a child's. This added a new layer to the Stellar Blade controversy. With the rising tensions, SHIFT UP soon came forward with a statement, but it only made things worse.

The devs claimed that there were no intentions of making the game provocative. They only wanted to create a strong and capable female lead and the outfits were only stylistic choices. This is why they were adamant about not bringing any censorship in Stellar Blade's full release. This statement pleased the ‘non-woke’ group for a while before they, too, turned on Stellar Blade.

It happened because, even though most of the outfits were criticized in the Stellar Blade controversy, a selected few were censored with some minor altercations. But it was enough to offend the game’s loudest supporters.

They flamed the game and the devs for adding two inches of extra clothing in the chest area of their favored bunny outfit, further proving the point that there is practically no winning with this group.

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Who benefited the most from the Stellar Blade Controversy?

In the end, the only group that benefits the most are the ones who enjoy the game for what it is. Despite the Stellar Blade controversy, it is a very polished and well-made game. It offers fluid actions, a decent narrative, exceptional visuals, and a good sound score. That said, Stellar Blade deserves a chance among the other greats of the PlayStation-exclusive library.