'Free Stellar Blade' petition gathers steam as gamers push back against censorship
A petition to revert Stellar Blade's censorship changes is closing in on 100,000 signatures
Update 05/15/2024: The Free Stellar Blade petition has now surpassed 88,000 signatures as it moves closer to its goal of 100,000 before it will be printed off and delivered to developer Shift Up in South Korea.
The petition was started on April 26 and continues to gain new support though the pace of signatures has admittedly slowed.
Developer Shift Up has since clarified that any censorship changes had nothing to do with Sony. Shift Up’s CEO Kim Hyeong-Tae explained why it made changes to some of Eve’s outfits.
“I don’t think that just because the costumes are vulgar doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good, so this is something that was modified for quality,” he said. “As a result, there are parts where eroticism is lessened or emphasized. This is the final product that we want to show as the intended result.”
It remains to be seen whether the petition will have the desired effect, but it shows that Stellar Blade’s decision to censor some of the game’s outfits hasn’t gone down well with a large group of gamers.
📝 A petition has been launched after Stellar Blade was censored
🗣️ It demands that developer Shift Up revert some of the changes made to EVE’s outfits
👎 Some are accusing developer Shift Up of false advertising
🤬 The issue has caused a heated debate among gamers and critics once again
Original story: A ‘Free Stellar Blade’ petition is rapidly approaching 50,000 signatures after developer Shift Up has been accused of censoring some of the game’s outfits.
Evidence emerged that EVE’s outfits had been changed after the game’s day one patch, which ultimately made the game even better by introducing a New Game+ mode and other welcome additions.
Those claims have since been proven true as people gained access to unpatched physical versions of the game that clearly show outfits like the Holiday Rabbit costume have been censored for unknown reasons.
Ahead of its release, Developer Shift Up proudly claimed that Stellar Blade would be uncensored in all regions in a post on X, and many gamers have appreciated how the title hasn’t kowtowed to current social pressures in its design of female characters.
However, the decision to censor and change outfits from how they were previously advertised hasn’t gone down well with some fans of the game, and now a petition has been launched to revert the changes.
Created by Mark Kern, who is the former team lead on the original World of Warcraft and one of the most outspoken individuals on DEI, censorship, and “wokeness” in gaming, the petition says:
“Stellar Blade is a phenomenal new game that just launched on PlayStation 5 worldwide. But it has a problem. The content has been censored from the original trailer version posted by Sony. We, as gamers, want this content back. We relied on it, we made the game the #1 pre-order worldwide because of it, and this is the true game we want.
“Stellar Blade is more than a game, it has become a cultural beacon for freedom of expression in a time when Game Publishers like Sony are censoring games more than ever. Stellar Blade was a breath of fresh air and gamers rallied behind it because it meant things were changing, getting better, and the voice of creative freedom was ringing loud and clear.
“But for reasons unknown, the game was censored, and changes were made. What we received after our good faith purchase was not the same as advertised.
“We believe in the game, we believe in Shift Up, and we are asking to get the game we believed in. Revert the censorship changes, patch the game, and you will find that even more gamers will join you and support you!
“All gamers can help by signing this petition. It will be printed in Korea and delivered in Korea to Shift Up offices, and physically printed and delivered to Sony Playstation North America offices. Spread this petition on Social Media with the #FreeStellarBlade hashtag.”
Stellar Blade is one of the best PS5 games I’ve played and it impressed me so much that I awarded the game a perfect score in my Stellar Blade review. However, the unexpected censorship is admittedly disappointing as it’s unclear why it was necessary.
The game had already received a Mature rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which provides information about what’s in a game or app so parents or consumers can make an informed choice.
Unfortunately, like the Sweet Baby Inc. detected fallout, the Stellar Blade censorship debate has once again created a rather ugly divide between those who believe censorship is wrong and those who don’t care but are happy to deride gamers who do. It’s also exposed a lot of hypocrisy as to what’s acceptable and what isn’t.
It’s unlikely that the petition to free Stellar Blade will change things, but if it manages to reach 100,000 signatures developer Shift Up and Sony will at least have to take gamers’ complaints more seriously.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.