Stellar Blade Developer Addresses Criticism of Eve’s Depiction by Naughty Dog Artist

A wave of feedback recently hit Hyoung Taek Nam, a character concept designer from Naughty Dog, over some fan art he crafted for the main character, Eve, from “Stellar Blade.” The art made a splash after being shared by the game’s former Twitter account, now called X, where fans didn’t hold back from labeling Eve’s depiction as “ugly” and “revolting.” In light of this critique, Shift Up, the developer behind “Stellar Blade,” responded by sharing more of Nam’s work.

Stellar Blade’s team remains open to fan art creations. The backlash surrounding Nam’s first piece didn’t seem to target the art’s quality itself but rather revolved around disliking his unique take on Eve. The artwork in question shows Eve engaged in battle with a Naytiba, and here’s a closer look at it.

Nam’s affiliation with Naughty Dog seems to add fuel to the fire. Considering Naughty Dog’s reputation for a realistic art style, some trolls associate this realism with being “woke.” It’s a familiar and unfortunate pattern, leading to this particular portrayal of Eve being met with such negativity.

Not long after the first post, Stellar Blade’s account resurfaced with another fan art piece from Nam. This new portrait portrayed Eve with more delicate features compared to the previous depiction. Alongside this release was a note addressing the controversy, emphasizing the role of artistic style in such works.

“Artist Nam Hyoung Taek has once again drawn Eve for us,” Shift Up commented. “We appreciate this greatly, yet we always embrace fan art, even if it harks back to the style of the earlier piece.”

The message continued, noting how fan art often leans heavily into the artist’s personal flair, which they see as a vital and delightful aspect of such contributions.

Since its exclusive PS5 release in April, “Stellar Blade” has seen several updates. These include enhancements optimized for the PS5 Pro and a crossover DLC featuring content from “Nier: Automata.”