At last, Stellar Blade‘s censorship controversy can finally be put to rest, and the discourse can end. SHIFT UP, the studio behind the game confirmed their intention behind the outfit change during a launch-day press conference.
SHIFT UP CEO Hyung-Tae Kim and technical director Dong-gi Lee spoke at length about consumers’ various questions regarding the game. The answers are roughly translated from Korean, so there may be some discrepancies.
Stellar Blade’s Studio Clarifies the Reason For the Outfit Change
During a press conference held at IFC Mall in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea, Kim and Lee were asked about the controversial ‘Day One’ patch for the game that changed one of Eve’s outfits to have black lace.
When questioned whether it was intentional, Kim left no room for false interpretation:
The final result of adjustments to be delivered to users is included in the day one patch, or just before it. I also think that just because the costumes are vulgar doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good, so this is something that was modified for quality. As a result, there are parts where eroticism is lessened or emphasized.
He ends the answer with a clear-cut statement:
This is the final product that we want to show as the intended result.
Well, there you have it folks. The change was intentional, rather than a form of censorship, as Kim felt that exposing skin doesn’t necessarily equate to good-looking.
It has to be said that there are other outfits in the game where Eve is practically exposed to almost every corner of her character model. If this was a matter of censorship, one must wonder why the other outfits weren’t covered up in the same way.
Some Exciting Changes Are to Come
Moving on from the censorship issue, fans of the Stellar Blade better buckle in their seatbelts, as the team emphasizes some changes they’ve already made and some that will arrive soon.
Through the Day One patch, New Game Plus was added to the game. There’s also new gear and clothing to spice things up if you’re doing multiple playthroughs.
After receiving feedback, the team has also adjusted the gray, color chromatic aberration options. But, one of the most exciting things is regarding what Lee had to say:
I would like to add a boss challenge mode as additional content. Seeing that you enjoyed the demo, we are planning to prepare and provide it quickly.
Looking at the nature of Stellar Blade‘s combat, a boss rush mode would suit the game perfectly. As Kim revealed in the interview, the combat is the highlight of the game:
We focused on the battle with a ratio of about 7 to 3.
With so much emphasis on the combat, it only makes sense to add a mode where users can go back and challenge all the bosses back-to-back and relive the action without having to play through the entire game repeatedly.
If you played Stellar Blade, what are your opinions on it? Let us know in the comments below!
