Stellar Blade was first announced as Project Eve in 2019. It was initially being developed across PS4, Xbox One, and PC. However, during the September 2022 State of Play, the game was named Stellar Blade and was announced as a PS5 exclusive. Also, it got a 2023 release window—but that did not happen.
Gamers also got a glimpse of Stellar Blade’s story, combat, and graphics through the trailer that was showcased during the State of Play. The footage was action-packed and immediately whet the appetite of gamers who eagerly anticipated its release. Some found the combat and soundtrack reminiscent of Nier Automata.
Well, 2023 is now behind us and Stellar Blade has not been launched yet. However, there has not been any official statement on the matter nor has a new date been set. On the game’s FAQ section of the PlayStation page, the answer to the question about when Stellar Blade is coming out was, “Check back here for updates on Stellar Blade’s release date”.
ALSO READ: NBA Superstar Lebron James Sparks Streaming Platform War
A post on the PlayStation Blog showcasing what is to come also confirmed that Stellar Blade has been delayed to 2024, although a precise release date has not been announced. Stellar Blade is being developed by Korean studio Shift Up—and it would be their first console title. Prior to Stellar Blade, the studio focused primarily on making mobile games.
The action-adventure, hack n’ slash title will have players take the role of Eve. The heroine is locked in an epic fight against Naytibas, a force wreaking havoc on Earth. Stellar Blade will combine stunning visuals and “a mature narrative” to bring something new to life.
The game will challenge players to find a balance between offense and defense in the epic fight for survival against the hordes of “out-of-this-world enemies”. Talking about stunning visuals, gamers have been commenting a lot about Eve’s model.
The ongoing debate on Stellar Blade’s character model
It was revealed that Stellar Blade’s main protagonist, Eve, was created based on a 3D scan of Korean model Shin Jae-eun. Digital representation of real-life characters in AAA games is a common trend. Scanning the real-life models helps to make the digital avatar more realistic.
Alex Battaglia, a video producer at Digital Foundry once said that the character model in Stellar Blade was reminiscent of a character from 2002.
ALSO READ: 7 Biggest Video Game Flops Of 2023 That Left Gamers Feeling Scammed
“Do you think the character model was like, distracting and not in a good way?” Battaglia said in a video that has now been widely shared on X. “Because the camera angle chosen, it just felt like this game seems like a game that came out in 002 in terms of its character design. It’s like a bit old and not flattery, I don’t think from a modern audience.”
Battaglia went ahead to compare Eve with the character model of Frey in Forspoken which he believes was more appealing. Well, many fans have called out Battaglia for having a problem with female game characters being too sexy.
In case you don’t already understand the reason for the analysis, Battaglia was likely referring to the curves on the female character in Stellar Blade and how they bounced around. The discussion goes ahead to show the difference in moral standards in different parts of the world.
ALSO READ: Why Is My Gaming Laptop So Slow? 5 Ways To Fix It!
While in the Western part of the world, a character needs to be fully clad to be considered appealing, Eve’s appearance will be perceived as normal in the Eastern part of the world—and it is totally fine to have these diversities properly represented in video games.
When it launches, Stellar Blade will make full use of the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback capabilities. As we await the official announcement of the game’s release date, below is a video recap of the State of Play September 2022 story trailer.
