Stellar Blade Fans Call Out Character Designer for Unnecessarily Ugly Character Design

Naughty Dog's concept artist sparked a heated online debate after sharing artwork of Stellar Blade's protagonist, Eva, on X. The artwork, depicting a more masculine version of Eva, was met with overwhelmingly negative feedback. Many fans deemed the design unattractive, using terms like "ugly" and "terrible" to describe it. The response even went so far as to accuse the artist of deliberately making Eva appear "awakened," a reference to a current trend in character design.

This incident appears to be part of a larger pattern. Naughty Dog recently faced criticism for the inclusion of explicit DEI content in their upcoming game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The game's trailer even broke a record for most dislikes, surpassing Concord's earlier record. This negative reception contrasts sharply with the success of Stellar Blade earlier this year.

Stellar Blade's initial success was largely attributed to Eva's universally praised design, considered objectively beautiful by the gaming community. This positive reception stands in stark contrast to the reaction to the newly revealed concept art.