PS5 exclusive Star Blade has finally launched five years after its announcement, but it has done so with several major controversies.
Why is Stellar Blade controversial?
Even before Star Blade released, the PS5-exclusive version faced backlash for its female playable character, Eve. Many have criticized the Shift Up developer for the character’s design, claiming that she is over-sexualized to appeal to men.
The design has drawn mixed reactions, with some outraged and others praising Star Blade because is traditional did not wake up. Some have even labeled Eve an “anti-awakening symbol” in an age where much new media is criticized for accommodating more modern and traditional values.
With Star Blade Now, in the public eye, the game has faced backlash for adding graffiti with the word “HARD” spray-painted next to the “R shop” sign, putting the term “Hard R” on the walls of the Japanese title.
The “Hard R” is often used to refer to the word “n***er” – a racial slur against black people that is considered one of the most offensive in the English language.
Sony’s official statement (via IGN ) after the artwork was revealed in the PS5 demo, titled Dual Graphics Placement “involuntary” and confirmed that it will be replaced by the day one patch:
“Placing two graphics close to each other Star Blade unintentionally led to aversion. Shift Up had no intention of creating offensive artwork and replaces the graffiti in the Day 1 patch.”
Part of the controversy Star Blade comes as it was first advertised as a cross-platform release for PlayStation, Xbox and PC Project Eve. However, the game was later bought by Sony and was advertised as a “Exclusive PlayStation 5 console.”
Due to a change in plans for the game’s release, many Xbox and PC players who were excited for the original reveal have been disappointed as they are unable to play Star Blade with no signs of that changing in the future.
(Will Stellar Blade ever release for Xbox?)
Star Blade is now available for PS5.
