Look how they massacred my girl...
Nam Hyoung Taek, Naughty Dog's Principal Character Concept Designer, recently shared an illustration of Eve from Stellar Blade on his Instagram account—and it’s nothing short of... brutal. The gaming community is roasting the hell out of it, and I gotta be honest - rightfully so. This “attempt” at depicting Eve, the Stellar “babe” celebrated for her beauty and strong feminine presence, is a complete departure from the grace and elegance that fans have come to love. Not only is her face beaten so badly with a 3 wood that it's completely unrecognizable, but her overall proportions, (particularly the hips and butt), have been altered to such an extent that she now looks awkward and devoid of any of her original feminine charm that made her so iconic in the first place.
Now you could look at this and say, hey... it's just an artists rendition, no big deal... Right? Why bother getting up in arms about it? Well, that's precisely why this situation has grabbed the internet's attention. Because of the connections BEHIND the scenes.
It’s hard to honestly look at this transitioned version of Eve in the image and NOT think right away that it was 100% intentional. Eve's original design was clearly crafted to inspire and captivate with pure beauty, yet... this reimagining strips away her essence, leaving a character that looks more like a dude, or a completely busted woman. This design is emblematic of the troubling trend within Naughty Dog that we've been covering quite a bit as of late—one where female characters are increasingly masculinized, seemingly in the name of some ideological agenda. See there latest upcoming game, Intergalactic The Heretic Prophet as exhibit A for that pattern being confirmed after The Last of Us Part II LGBTQ+ forced agenda...
Naughty Dog's consistent direction - is no accident.
Naughty Dog’s Agenda: A Pattern Emerges
Naughty Dog, the once (long ago, I know) darling Sony-owned studio, has faced pushback from gamers in recent years for what many perceive as a shift down (sorry, I couldn't resist) towards pushing certain ideologies in their games. Whether it’s their characters’ design choices or the narratives being pursued in their games, there’s enough confirmation at this point from all the evidence available that their creative direction is being shaped by activism rather than what gamers actually want - creativity and artistry in gaming.
Neil Druckmann, the studio’s co-president, has been at the forefront of his own activism movement, with many looking at his approach as being hardcore gay agenda driven, heavy-handed, and alienating to long-time fans of the grand daddy of Crash Bandicoot.
This situation raises an important question: Why would a studio as experienced as Naughty Dog completely disregard what makes characters like Eve resonate with fans? If Nam Hyoung Taek’s design is any indication, it’s pretty clear that Naughty Dog’s priorities have changed from respecting the source material and the very fans who cherish it... into... well.. whatever THIS is:
Shift Up’s Partnership with Sony: A Dangerous Alliance?
Shift Up, the studio behind Stellar Blade, went public earlier this year… and has been gaining attention for its close partnership with Sony and Western developers like Naughty Dog.
Not a great and welcome sign. As MangaLawyer aptly put it on Twitter:
“Shift Up and the Stellar Blade developers could face the infamous Golf Curse cast by Neil Druckmann. They've been really close to Western developers in recent weeks. Nothing lasts forever. Say thanks to Sony for this.”
The so-called “Golf Curse” refers to that now infamous moment in The Last of Us Part II where Joel met his ultimate demise at the hands of a golf club—a 3 Wood, if I'm not mistaken... A moment that symbolized the sharp divide between Naughty Dog’s vision and their audience’s expectations. That curse now looms over Stellar Blade, with fans worried that Neil Druckmann’s “weirdo fetishes” as critics describe them, will eventually seep directly into Shift Up’s work, trashing what made the game special and unique in the first place.
Fan Outrage: A Warning Sign for Shift Up
The backlash from fans has been swift and fierce. MangaLawyer didn’t hold back when he said:
“If this company gets in bed and thinks Neil Druckmann is a visionary, no amount of fanservice will make me invest a dime. They are dishonest and bad people—you know it. Do whatever you want. I'll keep saving my money.”
MangaLawyer's sentiment echoes my frustrations as well - as it feels increasingly like we are being alienated by a gaming industry as a whole - more focused on agendas and pushing ideologies than delivering gamers actual quality experiences. Stellar Blade represented a beacon of hope for us with a callback to classic action-adventure games with a hot lead, but the involvement of Naughty Dog here casts a LONG shadow of doubt over its future.
A Call for Cuckmann
Nam Hyoung Taek’s disastrous redesign of Eve is more than just a bad drawing—it’s a symptom of a much MUCH larger problem within Naughty Dog ...and the industry at large. Shift Up has to tread carefully in their dealings with Sony and Naughty Dog, or else they'll risk alienating their very fanbase they worked so hard to garner, and at the same time tarnish their good overall reputation in the video game industry. We are watching closely, and as history's shown us, nothing is more powerful than a united community of fans demanding better.
For now, the future of Stellar Blade remains questionable at best. Will Shift Up preserve the soul of their game, or will they succumb to the influences of a studio that seems intent on erasing the magic that makes characters like Eve shine? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: fans won’t stay silent... and even though all this is, on the surface, about one piece of art... the ramifications could be a lot larger than surface level.
~Smash
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