IGN France has issued an apology to Stellar Blade developer Shift Up for its insulting remarks over the depiction of the game’s protagonist.
In its original preview, IGN France had taken issue with the depiction of Stellar Blade protagonist Eve. It pointed out that while other games featuring female protagonists have opted to highlight the strengths of those characters, Stellar Blade’s Eve is just “bland“. The post cited the examples of iconic female characters like Bayonetta and and Nier Automata that have “inspired an entire generation of cosplayers”. Furthermore, it was stated that Eve is more of a doll that has been “sexualized” by someone who has never seen a women, pointing towards Shift Up.
The gaming website later went back on its original stance, issuing an apology to Shift Up and its staff members. It was stated that the original preview for Stellar Blade contained an offensive passage that should never have been published. The text has now been edited.
Furthermore, IGN France clarified that it is an independent branch of IGN and that IGN’s editorial staff had no involvement with this incident. The apology note mentioned that it was not IGN France’s intention to disrespect Shift Up or any of its employees or their work, it recognized that the phrase taken in its literal sense was inappropriate. IGN France apologized to to anyone at Shift Up who felt personally targeted and insulted by the insulting passage.
Previously, during an interview, Shift Up CEO Kim Hyeong-tae stated that the development team will be working on a balance patch to make Stellar Blade more enjoyable for all sorts of players. Plans to release DLC have not yet been decided, but free post-launch content such as additional costumes a New Game Plus mode are being worked on for the game.
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IGN France did not apologize. It was IGN USA that apologized. Terrible journalism from you guys.