Hyoung Taek Nam, a character concept designer for Naughty Dog, recently faced some heat over fan art they made of Eve, the lead character in Stellar Blade. The artwork, once shared by the game’s X account (formerly Twitter), was met with some harsh words from fans who labeled the depiction of Eve as “ugly” and “revolting.” In response, Stellar Blade’s developer, Shift Up, shared more of Nam’s artwork to address these critiques.
Despite the initial backlash surrounding Nam’s work, it appears that the negative comments were less about the art’s quality and more about some individuals simply disapproving of how Eve was depicted. Included in the post was a fan art piece in which Eve is engaged in battle with a Naytiba.
The criticisms seemed to grow louder due to Nam’s association with Naughty Dog, as the studio is known for favoring a realistic art style. Some internet trolls confuse realism with being “woke,” making it not entirely shocking that Nam’s take on Eve attracted such controversy.
A few days following the initial posts, another artwork by Nam graced the Stellar Blade account. This time, it portrayed Eve with gentler features compared to his previous work. Alongside this new artwork was a statement addressing the earlier criticism, noting the value that different artistic styles bring to fan art.
Shift Up expressed appreciation for Nam’s ongoing contributions. “Artist Nam Hyoung Taek has once again drawn Eve for us,” the statement read. “While we’re grateful, we also welcome fan art in the style of the previous work. Fan art often reflects more of the artist’s style than the original, which is both important and enjoyable.”
Stellar Blade, which hit the shelves exclusively for the PS5 last April, has experienced several updates since its launch. These updates include enhancements for the PS5 Pro and a crossover DLC with Nier: Automata, keeping the buzz alive around the vibrant gaming world of Stellar Blade.
