Stellar Blade, the upcoming PS5 exclusive from Shift Up, is only a few weeks away from release, and a demo for the game is available. The majority of the players have liked the game, but there has also been controversy over the design of the game’s protagonist, Eve.
The character’s body is said to have been sexualized, and the developer has tried to clarify things for the players, yet the controversy continues. The creative director of the game, Hyung-Tae Kim, has now again justified one important aspect that should ease the minds of those bothered by it.
Stellar Blade Director Talks About Eve’s Character Design
The portrayal of Eve in Stellar Blade has been the talk of the town, with many saying that the character is designed unrealistically, especially her backside. Director Hyung-Tae Kim spoke about the design of Eve in an interview with GamesRadar+, where he explained why so much attention has been given to the back of the character, which is mainly the topic of criticism.
Kim has said that this is all intentional and explained the reason behind it. The game is played from a third-person perspective, and he said that when players play the game, they will be seeing the back of the character for the most part, and it ultimately becomes important to make that look good and appealing for the players. Here’s what he said:
When it comes to the design, we put special attention on the back of the character because the player is always facing the back of the character when they’re playing. That’s what they see the most of, so we thought this was pretty important.
Shift Up is also the developer of the gacha game Goddess of Victory: Nikke, which is also known for the attention on the backside of the characters. Kim said that the studio does not want to interest players in its games with only arousal, but it is more than that, adding that Eve’s character design “has become somewhat of a brave thing to be going for or attempting.”
Kim on the Portrayal of Eve-Like Characters in Video Games
Director Kim also shared his thoughts on how characters like Eve are shown, both in Korea and around the world, and shared what he likes to see in the games he plays and creates. Kim said that people are “especially strict” towards video games for such characters than in movies, manga, and more.
He further added that he likes to see someone “better-looking” than him when he plays a game, and that’s exactly what he wants. He mentioned that he wants to do something “ideal” than normal, and that is very important for entertainment, and he said that it is “entertainment targeted for adults.”
Despite the justifications and reasoning from the developer, the controversy continues, and Kim also recently said that he just wants people to see the game as they would see any other action game. However, it remains to be seen what treatment the game gets upon release.
What are your thoughts about Kim’s comments on Eve in Stellar Blade? Let us know in the comments.
