How Sony Forced Stellar Blade To Censor Controversial Graffiti

Stellar Blade is back in the news again, this time for what fans consider censorship. This game has been the topic of discussion for quite some time. Since the announcement trailer, discussion has been rampant about the looks of the lead protagonist. In many ways, this has helped propel the game into the mainstream. Fans have grown so tired in recent years of video game censorship that they are willing to latch onto anything.

The debate around video game character design can be tiresome, and thus, many see Stellar Blade as an F you to the current narrative. Whether true or not, many feel that there is a drive to make video game characters less attractive. On the one hand, there are those who argue that characters do not have to look visually appealing for you to enjoy the game. On the other hand, fans argue that while this is true, actively making them unappealing does nothing but censor developers. Obviously, video game censorship has been a hot-button topic for many decades now.

First, the debate centered around violence in video games and how it can lead to real-world violence. Then the debate shifted to attractive video game girls and how it leads to real-world censorship. The only thing that changed was the people making the arguments. It used to be conservatives who called for violence in video games to be toned down and libirals laughing at them, stating that violence in video games does not lead to real-world violence.

The studies certainly back that up. Now, it is libirals calling for censorship of characters as it can lead to real-world harassment and sexism. This time, conservatives are laughing at them. At least, this is my observation.

Stellar Blade Censorship

I am sure it is less political than I am making it sound. In the end, it does not come down to Liberals and conservatives. It comes down to crazy people and gamers. With that, let’s talk about the latest Stellar Blade situation. As most are aware, the game is scheduled to release today. By the time this drops, the game will probably be out. Sony, however, has already sent review copies to journalists. While playing, some reviewers discovered that there was graffiti on the wall with the word hard. Now, this is a pretty common word for graffiti. In this context, it simply means tuff.

However, right next to the graffiti, there is a store sign with an R. If you really dig deep, to some, it looks like they are trying to say Hard R. It is clearly obvious that this was not what they are trying to do. For journalists, though, who have been trying for months now to censor the game, this felt like an easy victory. They were quick to point out how extremely racist all of this was. In fact, the response was so overwhelming that Sony responded by stating that it was unintentional. Despite this, Sony decided to cover up the sign and remove it from the game.

Now, this was an extremely small change, but many still felt disappointed that Sony caved. They were pretty much gaslighted into thinking that they were racist. I will admit, this change is not the worst. It is clear that Sony simply made a mistake, and if it was unintentional, they have the right to remove it.

Conclusion

Censorship in video games has been horrible over the years. In this case, I don’t think Sony changing a sign that they unintentionally included is the worst. However, fans will still be upset because most view the outrage as dishonest. Moving even an inch for these journalists is too far. Thus, many are against Sony’s agreeing to change the sign. Despite this, Stellar Blade is officially here, and I believe sales for this game will go through the roof.