Stellar Blade and the outrage over butts in video games
Stellar Blade is an upcoming action game developed by Shift Up exclusively for the PlayStation 5. It was first shown off during the 2021 PlayStation Showcase as Project Eve before going dormant until the 2022 PlayStation Showcase with the new moniker, Stellar Blade. After another stretch without so much as a whisper, a new gameplay trailer was released in January 2024.
With each new trailer and interview, folks are beginning to get worked up about the overt sexualization of the protagonist, Eve. In an interview with GamesRadar+, Stellar Blade’s director, Hyung-Tae Kim, explained that focus had intentionally been put on Eve’s rump.
“When it comes to the design, we put special attention on the back of the character because the player is always facing the back of the character when they’re playing…That’s what they see the most of, so we thought this was pretty important.”
This isn’t the first time that Hyung-Tae Kim has put emphasis on rear ends as he served as both a producer and artist on another Shift Up title, Goddess of Victory: Nikke. In the mobile game, players control Nikkes who must shoot foes while strategically hiding behind cover. Looking at any of the art confirms that Hyung-Tae Kim has a preference in terms of art direction.
When pressed on his preference for character models, Hyung-Tae Kim gave a surprisingly upfront answer.
“Honestly, when I play a game I would like to see someone who is better-looking than myself. That’s what I want. I don’t want to see something normal; I want to see something more ideal. I think that is very important in a form of entertainment. This is, after all, entertainment targeted for adults.”
Despite what opinions one may have on his design choices, at least Hyung-Tae Kim doesn’t shy away from them. He knows what he’s about, who his market is, and isn’t ashamed of it. It’s refreshing when compared to Western media where those with corporate backing tend to toe a line and try to please as many as possible which results in being bland and inoffensive.
As for Stellar Blade’s protagonist, Eve’s model is based on the South Korean model, Shin Jae-eun. While the body may be modeled after Shin Jae-eun, Eve’s face is an entirely unique creation by the team at Shift Up. Stellar Blade is, thus far, the model’s only work in TV, films, or gaming.
The Ratings (Won’t somebody please think of the children!?)
In terms of ratings, South Korea’s Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) submitted its rating on January 25, 2024. Rated at 19+, Stellar Blade essentially received the equivalent of an 18 or M from PEGI and the ESRB.
The sci-fi action title ticks all of the GRAC’s boxes: Sexuality, Violence, Fear, Horror, Threatening, Language, Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug, Crime, Anti-societal, and Gambling. In particular, it was noted for the following:
- Direct propaganda: In the costume of a female character, there is a direct positive body exposure expression, such as nudity. (sic)
- Expression of excessive violence: In the course of the game, the character has a amputated body expression and red perfusion. (sic)
The ESRB published its rating nearly a month later. Unsurprisingly, Stellar Blade received an M rating. The rating summary consists of what one would already expect from the trailers that had been shown off prior.
“Blood-splatter effects occur frequently as enemy creatures are slashed and dismembered. Some cutscenes and battle sequences depict close-up images of impalement, dismemberment, and decapitation. The game depicts some female characters in revealing costumes (e.g., deep cleavage; skintight, flesh-toned body suites), with breasts that jiggle during combat. The word “sh*t” appears in the game.”
The 2B incident
But this isn’t a witch hunt for the Korean developer nor is it the first time an individual or studio has been called out for paying special attention to the female form. Yoko Taro, the curious mind behind Nier: Automata, lit the internet on fire with the reveal of 2B.
In a now-deleted Twitter post by the equally deleted account, @bzipgzbpl, it was purported that 2B had “300k+ polygons of robot ass.” This began the rumors that 2B had more polygons making up her rear than were in the entirety of Ocarina of Time. However, this was debunked in a Platinum Games blog post which stated that the number of polygons for a model is roughly 100k.
Getting back to Yoko Taro, during a Q&A panel at PAX East in 2017, the director gave some insight regarding 2B’s design. According to Niche Gamer, it was along the lines of:
“Taro also said that Nier: Automata protagonist 2B’s design wasn’t meant to be very sexy at first, however when he received the original designs he told the 3D modelers to make her butt as perfect as they possibly could, otherwise they’d be fired. So naturally they went above and beyond making a wonderful buttocks.”
This went over well with the community as the internet does what the internet always does with new things: make porn of it. Pixiv, DeviantArt, and subreddits exploded with “2Booty” artwork, cosplays, and mods dedicated to the android.
Of course, the alleged inclusion of 2B’s butthole in the Nier: Automata demo only stoked those fires. Then there was the “What Are You Doing?” Trophy for positioning the camera to look up 2B’s skirt 10 times. Oh, and the ability to make 2B self-destruct, removing her skirt entirely.
Director Yoko Taro took notice of the phenomenon and made a simple request on Twitter for users to send him their creations via ZIP files on a weekly basis.
The link between Stellar Blade and Nier: Automata isn’t simply one of bountiful booty. A collaboration between Square Enix and Stellar Blade’s developer, Shift Up, brought characters from the latter into Goddess of Victory: Nikke in September 2023 for a month-long event.
By now, you’ve probably paused and thought to yourself “My, Stellar Blade does bear a striking resemblance to Nier: Automata in virtually every fashion.” You would be right and accurate in your assessment, dear reader.
In a recent interview with Play3.de, director Hyung-Tae Kim was directly asked if the aforementioned title was an inspiration. The answer isn’t all that surprising.
“Yes, Nier: Automata was a very important game that inspired the development of Stellar Blade for our developers who worked on the game and it was a big help.”
The similarity between the two titles only grows stronger when Hyung-Tae Kim is asked about what makes Eve an interesting character.
“In the beginning, she doesn’t show that many emotions because she is a soldier, she doesn’t show as much of her feelings. Over time, she then interacts with her comrades and other survivors and they form this solidarity, and as it gradually shows more and more feelings, it has to choose between certain decisions”
From her personality to her character growth to her “dummy thicc” ass, it would appear that Eve is very much South Korea’s answer to the Japanese 2B. Is it more an homage than a ripoff and does it even matter when the masses only care about asses?
Lady Dimitrescu goes from being the hunter to being the hunted
Perhaps learning from Square Enix, Capcom would give some serious screentime to Resident Evil Village baddie, Lady Dimitrescu in a January 2021 trailer. The internet was quick to cling to the “vampire dommy mommy” and the cycle began anew.
In a newly established tradition, special attention was paid to the pseudo-vampire’s backside with posts echoing the 2B/Ocarina of Time myth. Capcom didn’t shy away from the attention and began a series of marketing campaigns around the statuesque villain.
Starting with the demo, the @BIO_OFFICIAL Twitter account asked for players to provide their feedback for a chance to win a lifesize towel feature the 9'6" Lady Dimitrescu.
This was followed up by a TikTok campaign to capitalize on the millions of horny players’ desire to be stepped on by “the tall vampire lady.” Enthusiasm continued through the launch of Resident Evil Village with the modding community going absolutely nuts with Lady Dimitrescu mods. One of the more popular ones (that isn’t NSFW) replaced the knife with a flyswatter for spanking the lofty bum.
Finally, when the PSVR2 was announced and that a VR version of Resident Evil Village would be a launch title, it was easy to surmise the biggest selling point wasn’t going to be the Beneviento baby. While Lady Dimitrescu hasn’t participated in as many crossovers as 2B, she nonetheless captivated hearts, minds, and other body parts with her ample rear.
I can personally attest that all of the buzz took a lot of tension out of exploring her castle. No longer was she a monstrous and looming threat like Mr. X or the Nemesis in prior installments. Now, she was the object of my affection as I would stalk her simply to swat her behind with my flyswatter.
Scripted events quickly became playful games of cat and mouse where, in my headcanon, Ethan Winters really wasn’t trying all that hard to evade Lady Dimetrescu’s clutches. Playing on the PSVR2 only reinforced this mentality.
Why?
Now that we’re more than 1500 words into this, I can hear you asking “Christian. Why?”
Your very asking of that question is probably why this pitch was rejected in the first place. I found it interesting that Stellar Blade is picking up more traction and publicity largely thanks to its hypersexualization.
It’s one of those titles whose coverage makes me feel like I should be ashamed simply because I dig the aesthetic and overall design. Is Eve cast in some highly impractical outfits? Absolutely. Are there some egregious jiggle effects at play? Most definitely. Am I going to have a ton of fun playing it? I can almost guarantee it.
Stellar Blade doesn’t look like it’s breaking any new ground, but I’d argue that it doesn’t need to. Thanks to the direction of Hyung-Tae Kim, I don’t think that Stellar Blade is going to suffer from any sort of identity crisis. It’s a game about over-the-top combat and looking unrealistically good while doing it.
Is there a larger issue regarding sexism and objectification in gaming and other media? Of course, there is. There are complex issues and feelings at play that will never be resolved simply because there is no pleasing everyone. We, as a whole, are incapable of agreeing on what is offensive. Look no further than the mess that is our world for proof of this.
That’s largely why I turn to games. The world is an incredibly depressing place and spending any amount of time on social media or looking at the news makes it feel like a hopeless and lost cause.
So, when a game comes around that catches my attention, I’ll take the opportunity to make an escape and illuminate it for others. Stellar Blade isn’t going to be a title for everyone, but there shouldn’t be any shame in enjoying it for what it is.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with liking pretty people beating the ever-loving shit out of monsters. It’s why you see an endless sea of nude mods for every title under the sun. Should Leon be hanging dong as he traverses the sewers under Raccoon City and fights the undead? Absolutely not as that’s begging for multiple aggressive infections.
The problem comes about when people set these unrealistic models as the standard and harangue others who disagree. The former are idiots and should be properly ridiculed or greeted with a brick to the face.
People will be outraged over the design choices in Stellar Blade and outlets will run with it because that kind of content gets clicks. Then the new thing to be upset about will come around and the collective will move on. I mean, look no further than how Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was absolutely crucified by many who didn’t even give it the time of day.
At the end of the day, it’s just another butt and a digital one at that. There are so many examples of this exact kind of thing that I ended up outlining and deleting entire sections before reaching this point. Dead or Alive, Bayonetta, and numerous other titles have whipped up the masses into a frenzy, and many more after Stellar Blade will do just the same.
Ultimately, it comes down to if you find the game fun. That’s all that matters. So, if juicy booties are your thing, then great! If not, hey, that’s okay too. That’s the wonderful thing about games, there are plenty of non-butt-centric options available.
