Stellar Blade fans have accused Naughty Dog's character designer of intentionally uglifying Eve

Naughty Dog's concept artist sparked controversy after posting artwork of Stellar Blade's protagonist, Eva, on X. The design, shared on the game's official account, was met with overwhelmingly negative feedback. Many fans criticized the depiction of Eva as unattractive and masculine, using terms like "ugly" and "terrible" to describe the concept art. A significant portion of the comments deemed the artwork repulsive and accused the artist of portraying Eva in an "awakened" state, a term often used to describe a character's transformation into a less conventionally attractive form.

This incident follows recent criticism of Naughty Dog's inclusion of explicit DEI content in their upcoming game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The game's trailer holds the record for most dislikes of a video game trailer this year, surpassing even Concord's previous record.

The contrast is stark when compared to the original Stellar Blade release earlier this year. The game's success was largely attributed to Eva's universally appealing design, making her a fan favorite. Shift Up's original design was widely praised by the gaming community, highlighting the significant difference in reception between the two versions of the character.