Naughty Dog’s character concept designer, Hyoung Taek Nam, found himself at the center of a social media stir over his fan art rendition of Eve, the lead character in Stellar Blade. When the game’s official X account (previously known as Twitter) shared the artwork, some fans did not hold back, describing it as “ugly” and “revolting.” In response to this criticism, Stellar Blade’s developer, Shift Up, chose to showcase more of Nam’s creations.
Stellar Blade Developers Embrace All Fan Art
The initial backlash over Nam’s illustration didn’t necessarily reflect the art’s quality. Rather, it seemed fueled by discontent from a few who simply disagreed with his vision for Eve. Nam’s artwork, which captures a dynamic moment of Eve battling a Naytiba, drew the ire of people who might not appreciate his style.
Moreover, Nam’s affiliation with Naughty Dog, known for steering their art style towards realism, seemed to add fuel to the fire. Some circles online conflate this realistic approach with being “woke,” hence the vitriol directed at his interpretation of Eve wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Just a few days later, Stellar Blade’s account shared another piece by Nam—this time, a portrait of Eve with gentler features. Accompanying this new art was a thoughtful response to previous criticisms, emphasizing the significance of artistic style.
Shift Up explained, “Artist Nam Hyoung Taek has once again drawn Eve for us. We’re incredibly thankful for this, but we’re always open to fan art, even in the style of Nam’s previous piece.”
As shared in a tweet by Stellar Blade, they highlighted, “It’s typical for fan art to carry more of the artist’s individual style than the original, which we believe is both crucial and delightful.”
For those unfamiliar, Stellar Blade made its debut exclusively on the PS5 back in April. Since then, it has rolled out numerous updates, including enhancements for the PS5 Pro and a crossover DLC with the Nier: Automata universe.
