Stellar Blade Day One Update 1.002 Adds New Game+, Removes Offensive Graffiti

Shift Up has released Stellar Blade day one update 1.002 on PS5, and those who preloaded the game should be notified of this update.

[cliveo32]

Lol who is offended by it 1 percent of crying snowflakes of course..

[blackblades]

What did it mean? Considering I'm in my own world these days.

[Christopher]

Hard R is typically a reference to the N-word with the hard r at the end.

[bloop]

I've never heard this either, but the gist I'm getting is there's people now getting offended by a description of an offensive word. Bring on the giant meteor and end it all already.

[Eonjay]

Do you really not know this is about the n-word or are you saying that black people can't get offended because it upsets you?

[blackblades]

I'm black I didnt know what it was, didnt know what DEI was or baby ink whatever it is. As I said in my own lane I don't keep up with new shyt these days

[jambola]

I doubt it was even a black person who complained lol
it's usually people offended on other people's behalf, even if the "others don't care

[preciousdeath]

IGN/Kotaku "journalists" who posted articles within 20 minutes of each other. Manufactured controversy for clicks.

[Christopher]

I can't believe they're censoring this game on day 1. Games just aren't the same.

/s in case it's needed. I'm fine with them making these changes that they might not have known is culturally insensitive to some people in the big ole world. But that's just me.

[VersusDMC]

They are censoring something that is deemed offensive by Journalists quoting the offensive term verbatim. They are typing it intentionally in articles while in the game it's a wall texture saying Hard next to a unrelated 3d model sign that says R store. Is it offensive or not? Crazy town.

At least IGN just shows the term with a screenshot of the game. Because it's their "discovery" and to not show hypocrisy in their HUGE vitue signal.
Hard R is the not offensive way to describe an offensive term. Are they going to type "Ha$$ R" or not use the term now?

[Christopher]

Oh, hey, I agree with you that IGN and other journalists are dumb. Not disagreement there. But, I think for a game going out to millions of people across the world? It's not something they want associated with them. It's just horrific PR.

[Tacoboto]

Add to the horrific PR nightmare that this is the first major Korean-developed Sony-published title, if I'm not mistaken.

There aren't that many Korean developed titles in general. And the allowance of this only would drive a bigger fissure in east vs west especially after Final Fantasy XVI released featuring no black characters at all...

Not a good look for Sony regardless of how you personally feel about it or the people that talk about it.

[VersusDMC]

I'm not saying it shouldn't have been changed. It's an easy fix and looks like it was an easy fix.

But the word HARD being too close to the letter R being a horrific PR nightmare and a indication of a racist developer is beyond crazy.

[Christopher]

I only think they would be seen as an insensitive developer if they were informed of its implications and didn't remove it. I don't think it's a bad thing to not want to have an unintentional message in your game.

[CobraKai]

That’s it?! Omg

[TriniOutsider]

It's all fake outrage journalists are looking for everything and anything to accuse the developers of sexualization of the female body and racism now. Yet, Hard R has nothing to do with race.

Some of these journalists seem to dislike Asian people and it's starting to show more and more now.

[TwoPicklesGood]

And what does “Hard R” mean then? Do you know the devs and their intentions? You can assume they meant “harder” but you know what they say about assuming? 😜

[VersusDMC]

@Twopickles

Here is the term used for movies

https://insidethemagic.net/...

Google deadpool hard r for several articles using the term in the title. Probably used when talking about whether the new blade movie when wondering if it's an "hard r" and not PG.

You're also assuming.

[shinoff2183]

Ign was one of the platforms trashing Japanese made games back during the ps3 360 Era around the time Phil phish showed his true colors.

[ChasterMies]

Cultural differences. If they knew sooner they would have pulled it sooner.

[jambola]

Korean developed game, released worldwide
censored because of a few offended americans

[Christopher]

If only we could all aim to be insensitive to others.

[BlackOni]

It's really not censorship. It's a change based on an unintended consequence. There's really no indication that it was something they even realized could be interpreted or construed as something else. Assets sometimes get placed in weird ways they don't realize until after. It's that simple.

[Stevonidas]

Pre-order cancelled. They were so close.... then they had to go and bend the knee.

[Eonjay]

If you can't enjoy the game without knowing there are racial slurs plastered on the walls, you might actually be the snowflake.

[romulus23]

There were no racial slurs plastered on the walls.

[jambola]

why are you lying?

[Tacoboto]

"Hey why didn't you get that game? I heard it's got that hot Korean chick?"

"I was gonna, but then they removed a reference to the N word!"

[TriniOutsider]

There was no reference to the N-word.

[gerbintosh]

I took "HardR" as "Harder". I think only racists and people looking for racism in everything will see a reference to a racial slur. Kind of like people looking at clouds see what they want to

[SeTTriP]

So this could be misconstrued as a offensive slur to a group of people they patched it out no harm no foul and now your not buying the game because this effected YOU in a negative way?
I'm confused.your offended because they didn't want to offend anyone says a lot about you more then the studio.

[BlackOni]

THAT part.

[Huey_My_D_Long]

This right here.

Honestly Kudos, because it seems like these type of people have been swarming N4G lately. I've lost my patience trying to explain but your post was succinct and on point.

[shinoff2183]

Sounds like your the snowflake dog. That's what put you over. Sounds like you were triggered.

[Crows90]

I'm offended by the sight of blood a d violence and find violence to be very insensitive...

We can all play stupid and pretend to be offended by graphics and fake worlds.

[InUrFoxHole]

How ironic

[DFresh]

I really enjoyed the demo.
I'm going to play through and max out on story mode then go to the challenge mode afterwards.
This game is very challenging but fun.
Especially for timing on the parrying and blocking.
Got the Deluxe Digital Edition (PS5) pre ordered.
:)

[DarXyde]

As a person of color that would be in the demographic that could be offended by the graffiti... I'm not.

But that said, I interpret this as a very sincere mistake and appreciate the effort to avoid any misunderstanding. It's not about "bending the knee"—they never intended to be offensive to begin with and this is just avoiding any issues. The fact that people brought it up means there are people who observed this and made some big deal out of it. I see it as more of a funny oversight, but cultural differences are likely to have something like this get overlooked. It's more charming than anything to see ShiftUp humbly address this.

People are acting like they're unapologetic South Korean racists who are changing their messaging to hide some nefarious propaganda. They are not. It's two separate pieces of text that unintentionally fit together and realized, "oh, this looks really bad. We don't want to send the wrong message about the game or the studio. Let's clean that up so it doesn't give people the wrong impression."

There is nothing here catering to anyone. It is about not sending the wrong the message. Nothing controversial about this.

[BlackOni]

Ex-Act-Ly

[Killer2020UK]

This seems such an inconsequential removal, to get so uppity about it and not buy it as a result seems so incredibly petty. Am I missing something here?

[VersusDMC]

The people saying they will cancel their pre order due to this censorship are just people who hate stellar blade trying to get people to not buy it at any means necessary.

The Anti censorship crowd wouldn't care about an inconcequential wall texture being changed but would care if EVE's character model was changed, gore taken out, or dialog erased /edited to appease the critics or publisher.

And it doesn't seem to be working as Stellar Blade has both versions at the top of the psn best selling list at the moment, 1st and second.

[jambola]

"The people saying they will cancel their pre order due to this censorship are just people who hate stellar blade trying to get people to not buy it at any means necessary."
proof? or are you just making things up and pretending they are true?

[VersusDMC]

@jambola

I explained my reasoning.

Do you think that changing that wall texture is grounds for canceling your preorder? That their artistic expression has been compromised due to not being able to have a graffiti that says 'hard'? Do you even know if the graffiti is not on another wall?

[jambola]

I didn't ask you to explain your reasoning
i asked if you had proof or are just making things up
did you not read my comment? or not understand? or just blatantly change topic?

[VersusDMC]

Proof
"evidence or argument establishing or helping to establish a fact or the truth of a statement."

Reasoning is an argument. Which is proof. So come back when you know what words mean.

[Z501]

IRL. "Hard R" is NOT a thing. "Hard ER" is.
"CrimeR" is another thing all together. It's a real thing. Look it up.

[Christopher]

I looked it up for you https://en.m.wiktionary.org...

[Z501]

This is not the definition of "CrimeR"

Anywho..
"(US, in particular), the hard r at the end of the word ****er when spoken with a General American accent and considered maximally racist"

Thank you for proving my point

"IRL"
This is the online explanation.

("when spoken with a General American accent")
Reads like AI. As if saying the N word with an American accent makes a difference.

It's either A or ER. There is no "hard r" (unless people can't spell)

We say - "Did he say it with the A or the ER?"
We don't say - "Did he say it with the A or the R?"

[Z501]

How is the word spelled, with AND without the "hard r"??? Because "IRL" I've never seen someone write "Hard R" or spell the word without the E.

[Futureshark]

Ah ha, the power of the internet has helped educate me about this.

So in case anyone else is scratching their heads as to what the fuss is about, here's my attempt at enlightment.

When people of color call each other 'N***a', it's actually a things friends do when they greet each other. I remember in the 90's there were scenes in the media that wouldn't get filmed today, such as in Rush Hour, Jackie Chan saying to a black man in a friendly way "What's up my N***a?".

To user the HARD R, is to pronounce the word 'N***eR' which is associated with how the word is used and pronounced as a horrible racist label, going all the way back to US slavery times etc, typically used by white bigots.

As for the game itself, I'm pretty sure this is a reach by the over sensitive press, the graffiti is the word HARD and the R is from the shop sign next to it. Bit like say HARD Rock Cafe is a racist name as it includes HARD R....

Still they patched it straight out which at least shows sensitivity and good intention in what was probably an accident and an unknown thing by the Korean developers involved.

[vTuro24]

There was nothing offensive about that graffiti. Stop listening to the twatter glue eaters please.

[vTuro24]

You know, it's kinda funny that they changed it to "Crimer" lmao.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

Unless it uses the N word with a hard R at the end I don’t find it offensive. I wouldn’t have even noticed this until someone brought it to my attention.

[jambola]

that's because you'd be playing the game
unlike a journalist

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

Yeah silly of us to think that a journalist would actually play a game their reviewing…All they do is look for controversy where there is none.

[Christopher]

Because you were ignorant isn't an excuse as to why it couldn't be offensive. I don't know a lot about what is or isn't offensive in most countries, but when they tell me it is... I stop being offensive. It's not difficult to not be offensive.

[jambola]

not difficult to be offensive either
dumb comment
only people who generally find this offensive are a small group of americans

[Christopher]

***not difficult to be offensive either
dumb comment ***

You prove both of those statements in your comment.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

1st I’m far from being ignorant, second I’m a black male and I think I’m an authority on what I consider offensive towards my people. What I DO consider offensive is when non black people speak on what should or should not offend a black person. I never said it wouldn’t be offensive to others I said IM not offended by it.

[Christopher]

***1st I’m far from being ignorant,***

You literally said you were ignorant...

"I wouldn’t have even noticed this until someone brought it to my attention. "

That's the ignorant part.

*** second I’m a black male and I think I’m an authority on what I consider offensive towards my people.***

Sure. I'm white therefore I represent all white people! Nonsense. This is about being sensitive towards those who would find it offensive. You're not offended? Great. Others might be. That's what this is about.

***What I DO consider offensive is when non black people speak on what should or should not offend a black person.***

No one said this. What has been said is that it can be considered offensive and that's why they removed it. So, you're trying to make this about something it isn't. Some might say you might be trying to play some sort of card to try and drown out what others are saying even. You don't need to be a specific race to support them in a decision aimed at trying to not be offensive to those who would be offended. I'm certain you would support the same for other races/cultures/ethnicities regardless of your 'authority as a black person.'

***I never said it wouldn’t be offensive to others I said IM not offended by it. ***

And I said others might be offended and it was easy for them to make a change for those who are. Your level of offensiveness isn't at discussion here. It's for those who would be offended. So, saying you're not offended is like wasting breath on the topic as a whole. Saying something just to say something.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

No what I literally said was that I wouldn’t even notice it. That is not the same as calling yourself ignorant and a very poor choice of wording on your part. Next how tf am I playing the race card? I’m not the one trying to make this into something it isn’t as I literally said that in one of my post which you seem to have ignored. You speak as if what you say is the end all be all. Can this be offensive to some? Obviously it can but do I find it offensive? No. I don’t need to speak for all black people but what I can definitely tell you is ALL black people will and should be offended by the Hard R. You saying I’m wasting my time commenting on a public form about a possible racial slur in a video is absurd. I’m on topic and I’m free to give my thoughts just like you are. As a matter of fact aren’t you a mod? If so should YOU be giving your opinions in these threads? Seems like a conflict of interest to me. The minute someone says something you don’t like you can just time them out. If you’re not a mod then ignore that but I suspect you are a mod.

[Hugodastrevas]

New Game + is welcome

[H9]

Nitpicking to hate on the game, that's all there is to it

[Christopher]

IMHO, it's done the opposite. They responded quickly to something that could be seen as offensive to some. They heard a problem, the found a solution, they fixed it ASAP. That's good. No one should see any hate in this, only a developer that is listening to the community as a whole and not just some of it.

[H9]

"Could be seen"

Listen it's easy to find stuff that could be seen as offensive, a developer have no obligation whatsoever to "fix" things that make no sense, I still don't understand why would this Korean game want to attack the black community here, this is just a bunch of people who want to nitpick at the game forgetting that those are actual people who will have to put work to take that out!

[BlackOni]

Glad it got removed- Honestly it seems like an honest mistake by the sounds of how they reuse that asset throughout the game. Unfortunate placement more so than anything, even if it was unintentional, but their response and willingness to fix it is what matters more than the mistake.

Either way, I'm excited to play this today!

[hiawa23]

I am black so I knew exactly why some would have issue with this but it seems many had no idea of the meaning . I am not for what some are calling censorship but they removed it so I am ok with that. Looking forward to the game.

[VonAlbrecht]

For those not in the know, they didn't literally have "Hard R" written on the wall. It was a graffiti of the word "Hard" next to a neon sign for an "R shop".

You'd literally have to be brain dead to think that ESL-at-best art director would have seen that for what it was and understood what they were looking at. The discourse around this is insanely bad faith on both sides.

[HankHill]

It must be a rough life having to find things to be offended about every day.

[gammaray13]

the people that are offended by this are the real racists and that's the HARD facts

[jlove4life]

I'm offended when YouTubers stream and their online name ends in YT just saying :'(