Shift Up’s Stellar Blade has been a trending topic among games since it was confirmed in 2023. Fans have been waiting for quite some time for this title, which is finally slated for a April 26, 2024. Among the various interesting aspects about this action-adventure game, one of the most discussed aspect was the design of the protagonist.
Numerous trailers and screenshots of the game prominently showcase on Eve, the protagonist. The developers revealed that Stellar Blade’s protagonist, Eve, is actually designed after a real-life South Korean model.
Stellar Blade‘s Eve is based on a Korean model
Shift Up admitted that the physical features of Eve are based on a Korean Model named, Shin Jae-eun in this PlayStation 5 exclusive title. They also said that during the character designing “special attention” was given to Eve’s backside, since that is what players would be watching the most while playing the game.
Stellar Blade‘s director, Hyung-tae Kim while talking to Push Square confirmed,
“Yes, we did base the character of Eve on the model Shin Jae-eun. We thought that her body shape would be a good reference for the character that we were pursuing. But the face was created originally in-house – it’s just the body of the model that we scanned for the game.”
The director was further asked why the team decided to settle on Jae-eun, to which he says,
“Of course it depends on how you define beautiful bodies, but for us we wanted to come up with the most attractive looking body for the user, so this is why we made the decision to work with her.”
Shift Up, is known for focusing on the physical appearances of its characters. One of the most significant examples is Goddess of Victory: NIKKE. The third-person shooter game showcased various anime-style ladies in eye-catching outfits.
The director has also revealed that players will be able to dress up Eve in 30 different costumes. Each of these is attainable after completing certain objectives or side quests. The protagonist can also be further customized with different hairstyles and accessories including glasses and earrings.
Fans defend the makers
Recently, while reporting about the character, IGN France reportedly wrote Eve from Stellar Blade is just bland, and that it was “A doll sexualized by someone who has never seen a woman.”
The statement obviously did not go well with the fans. A user named ‘Perma Banned’ posted a tweet criticizing the reporter saying,
-be @IGN France
-tries to trash Stellar Blade and say ShiftUp’s CEO “has never seen a woman”
-Meanwhile ShiftUp’s CEO’s actually married over 10 years and his wife is a prolific artistGame journos not only can’t help but talk trash, they can’t help being factually wrong too. pic.twitter.com/UOHroTFIpS
— Perma Banned (@GiveMeBanHammer) March 30, 2024
Several users supported ‘Perma Banned’ expressing their disbelief over such statements.
Not to mention the character is an exact copy of a model. You know…an attractive woman.
— NuclearWinter (@NuclearWinter69) March 30, 2024
They do this because they hate themselves and have their own issues that they refuse to work out so they take it out on others and project.
— Clyde Dante (@ClydeDante36042) March 30, 2024
Another user ‘Burst’ rightly pointed out that sexualizing female characters is pretty common in anime, and that it’s “creepy men” who draw them is incorrect.
Also, when will people realize that a lot of the artists who draw hot animu girls are themselves female? The idea that only “creepy men” like/draw hot girls is just blatantly incorrect..
— Burst (@WeebSports) March 30, 2024
Looks like IGN’s commentary seemed way too judgmental. Several users even took a dig at the publishing site claiming they do not trust IGN anymore.
