Stellar Blade: Fans Accuse Designer of Eve's Design

Naughty Dog's concept artist sparked a backlash online after sharing artwork of Stellar Blade's protagonist, Eva, on X. Fans overwhelmingly criticized the design, deeming it unattractive and masculine, with many comments describing the depiction as "ugly" and "terrible." The artwork was widely considered repulsive, and several commenters suggested the design intentionally made Eva appear "awakened," a term often used to describe a character with exaggerated, non-traditional features.

This controversy 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 garnered a record number of dislikes, surpassing even Concord's earlier record. This negative reception contrasts sharply with the success of Stellar Blade, a game whose popularity was largely attributed to the universally admired beauty of its protagonist, Eva. Shift Up's original design of Eva was well-received by the gaming community, highlighting the stark difference in opinion between the original and the newly revealed concept art.