A Naughty Dog character designer's artwork of Stellar Blade's protagonist, Eva, sparked significant negative feedback on X. Fans overwhelmingly criticized the design, describing it as unattractive, masculine, ugly, and even repulsive. Many comments suggested the artwork depicted an "awakened" version of Eva, a stark contrast to the original design that contributed greatly to the game's success.
This negative reaction follows recent criticism of Naughty Dog's inclusion of explicit DEI content in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a trailer which garnered a record number of dislikes. The original Eva design, created by Shift Up, was widely praised for its beauty and a key factor in Stellar Blade's popularity. The new design, in contrast, appears to be a significant departure from the well-received original.