Summary
Sony announced the day one patch forStellar Bladewill remove an unintentional reference to a racist slur. While initial reviews forStellar Bladelauded Shift Up’s action-adventure game, one particular image taken from a review copy highlighted a likely accidental but problematic graphic in the game.
Active members of the gaming community will likely already recognizeStellar Blade, Shift Up’s bombastic third-person action game, which has already garnered attention for its over-the-top action and eye-catching character design. The excitement surrounding the game has reached an all-time high, withStellar Bladeeven becoming the most pre-ordered game on the PlayStation Network store following the release of its action-packed gameplay demo. However, as players came closer and closer to the game’s release andearly reviews forStellar Bladecame pouring in, some online users spread screenshots of what appeared to be an unintended allusion to a problematic term.
Sony took notice of players' concerns and announced it would be removing the graphic with an update. Asreported by IGN, the Japanese tech giant claimed the company had no intention of denigrating or discriminating against any racial or cultural group, and that the screenshot’s problematic reference was unintentional. The infamous screenshot itself was centered on two graphical elements. The first was the texture for a piece of graffiti that simply read, “Hard.” When added to the neon sign for the in-game “R Shop,” some players were worried the accidental combination might spell trouble for developers.
Sony Announces Fixes in Stellar Blade’s Day-One Patch
Sony also clarified that the developers at Shift Up had similarly not intended to reference a racial slur in their artwork. Fortunately for Sony, the mistake itself is easily fixable, and the company revealed it was taking swift action by removing the problematic graphic fromStellar Bladeat launchthrough a day-one patch.
Despite the slight hiccup,Stellar Bladeis still on track for a successful debut. Early reviews forStellar Bladehave been overwhelmingly positive, with critics praising the game’s intense combat and memorable boss fights. Players can also look forward to the planned addition ofseveral post-launch features forStellar Blade, which includes a New Game+ mode and free costumes for its main character, Eve.
It’s safe to say that the run-up toStellar Blade’s debut has not been free of controversy. Between critiques of Eve’s character design andfalse rumors claimingStellar Blademight be censoredin several countries, the game has had a bit of a rocky pre-release. Thankfully, it seems most of Shift Up’s troubles are at an end, withStellar Bladeready to take the PlayStation 5 by storm when it finally launches on April 26.
Stellar Blade
WHERE TO PLAY
RECLAIM EARTH FOR HUMANKIND The future of humanity hangs in the balance in Stellar Blade, an all-new story-driven action adventure. Ravaged by strange, powerful creatures, Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of the decimated human race has fled to a Colony in outer space. After travelling from the Colony, 7th Airborne Squad member EVE arrives on the desolate remains of our planet with a clear-cut mission: to save humankind by reclaiming Earth from the Naytiba – the malevolent force that has devastated it. But as EVE tackles the Naytiba one-by-one, piecing together the mysteries of the past in the ruins of human civilization, she realizes that her mission is far from straightforward. In fact, almost nothing is as it seems…
