Stellar Blade Character Designer Faces Accusations of Intentional Deformity

Naughty Dog's concept artist sparked controversy after sharing artwork of Stellar Blade's protagonist, Eva, on X. The depiction, deemed unattractive and masculine by many fans, elicited overwhelmingly negative feedback. Commenters described the design as "ugly," "terrible," and even "repulsive," with accusations that the artist had intentionally made Eva appear "awakened."

This incident follows recent criticism of Naughty Dog's inclusion of explicit DEI content in their upcoming game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The trailer for this sci-fi adventure achieved a record-breaking number of dislikes, surpassing even Concord's earlier record.

The initial success of Stellar Blade was largely attributed to Eva's universally praised design, a stark contrast to the newly revealed concept art. Shift Up's original portrayal of Eva was widely celebrated within the gaming community. The negative reaction to the new design highlights the significant impact character aesthetics can have on a game's reception.