Many players who bought Stellar Blade have expressed their disappointment and some are planning to refund the game altogether over the apparent censorship following the claim that it would have an uncensored release in all regions, including Japan.
A group of players have accused the developer of the highly anticipated game, Shift Up, and publisher Sony of "censoring" the game in the title's day one patch. This includes some of the clothes of the game's protagonist, Eve, being found to have had some changes.
Stellar Blade's Apparent Censorship
(Photo : Shift Up / Screenshot taken from official website)
The original designs of the outfits in question are now only visible if you have a physical release of Stellar Blade and install it without the day-one patch. The outfits were not present in the pre-release copies that reviewers and content creators were able to try ahead of the official launch.
The main change is that some outfits, such as Eve's bunny outfit, include some black lacing around the chest area that covers parts of the character's skin. In another example, the protagonist is seen wearing black stockings with one of her dresses. This comes as other outfits still show a lot of skin, including the bikini costume, according to The Gamer.
There is also a video that has started to circulate online showing Stellar Blade director Hyung-Tae Kim responding to the claims that the day-one patch censored the game. In the footage, he suggests that this is not the case, adding that they are currently having ongoing internal discussions about the issue.
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While some fans are satisfied with his answer, others have become even more frustrated. It has also prompted some to call for a boycott of PlayStation Plus. This was primarily because many blame Sony for the apparent censorship of Stellar Blade.
Many others, namely in the subreddit for the streamer Asmongold, have claimed that those who bought the game can get a full refund if they cite their reason as "false advertising." There is also a petition to have the game's unused outfits restored in a future update which currently has around 35,000 signatures.
Alleged Uncensored Release
Another example that players have posted online is the one with Eve's Holiday Rabbit outfit that originally showed more of the character's hips and chest area. However, following the day-one patch, her clothes have covered up more of these areas, said Insider Gaming.
The situation comes as Stellar Blade had a massive debate, particularly regarding the game's apparent objectification of its protagonist, Eve, It was no secret that Shift Up designed the character to be as curvy and eye-catching as they can.
The latest issue with the day-one patch also comes as the game's official social media account on X said that Stellar Blade would be released uncensored in all regions. Prior to its release, the game generated so much interest that Shift Up asked players to "go easy" on the game's demo.
This comes as there have already been some who logged in more than 50 hours of playtime, which is progress that they will be able to carry over to the main game following its full launch, according to Eurogamer.
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