The Controversy Over New Outfits in Stellar Blade Continues...
Forbes video game writer Paul Tassi is PISSED over Korean developer Shift Up's decision to reintroduce a number of removed sexy outfits in their game, Stellar Blade. This development came with the latest patch for the game, which included a new "Boss Challenge" mode and several new costumes... But we'll dive into that in a sec - first - what happened?
The New Additions
Shift Up detailed the updates on their social media, highlighting the new "Boss Challenge" mode, which allows players to replay defeated bosses in multiple settings. One of the significant additions was the Neurolink Suit, which becomes available after a player defeats all bosses in the new mode.
Additionally, two new outfits from the "Kunoichi" series, named Midsummer Redhood and Midsummer Alice, were introduced and could be obtained at Adam’s safehouse.
Midsummer Redhood: Described as "Tetrostar C&T’s Midsummer Collection swimwear, where even the big bad wolf can’t bother Redhood’s summer escape."
Midsummer Alice: Marketed as "Tetrostar C&T’s Midsummer Collection swimwear. Step into Wonderland’s vacation spot and make it your own."
These outfits bear a resemblance to those that were previously altered by a Day 1 patch, specifically the Holiday Rabbit and Cybernetic Bondage outfits.
The Community's Reaction
The release of these outfits has led to some extremely mixed reactions...
Mark Kern, also known as Grummz (above), celebrated the new additions with his tweet, thanking the community for their efforts in the #FreeStellarBlade movement. He emphasized that the uncensoring of these outfits was a significant win for gamers, encouraging continued support for the developers.
On the other hand, Paul Tassi (above) criticized the move, arguing that it rewarded a vocal group involved in what he described as a "ridiculous campaign." He expressed his discontent by stating that while the outfits themselves were not the issue, the cultural implications of this victory were troubling. Also, I can only infer, he wants us to get off his lawn.
Tassi wrote on Forbes:
“The bad part of this is that the ‘culture war’ folks here have been rewarded for their frankly ridiculous campaign lambasting this game, the developers, Sony, everyone for the original outfit changes as some sort of conspiracy which did not exist.”
He further commented via a tweet (above) that giving these groups a win was not a positive development.
Do not care about how the new Stellar Blade outfits look (they’re fine). Giving these guys a win absolutely sucks and they’ll be dining out on it forever. So yeah, I’m not thrilled about it
The Developers' Stance
Amidst this controversy, Stellar Blade’s director, Hyung Tae Kim, acknowledged the changes to the outfits at a launch event. He mentioned that the Day 1 patch included alterations that were still a subject of internal discussion. This statement contradicts the notion from Paul or others about any "conspiracy" behind the changes.
Community Feedback
Some players are pleased with the new outfits and the developers' decision to revert some of the previous censorship. Others think that we shouldn't be declaring victory so soon, as these are technically new outfits, and the originals are still censored... Then you have folks like Tassi who see this as a problematic concession to a vocal minority.
Journo's gonna Journo.
~Smash
Thx/scoop: ThatParkPlace.com
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