Explaining The Deeply Unlucky Stellar Blade ‘Hard R’ Situation

The embargo on reviewing Stellar Blade ended recently, and it stirred up a lot of upheaval. However, the focus wasn't on the reviews themselves, which were for the most part favorable. The commotion was about a particular aspect of the game that needed to be removed before it could hit the market.

The matter at hand involved graffiti present in the game wherein the word "HARD" was spray painted on a wall adjacent to a sign bearing the letter "R" and the word "Shop." When viewed in a particular screenshot, it appeared to form the offensive phrase "Hard R."

In free English, this means that there are two possible meanings to the term "hard R." It can refer to a movie that has been rated as having extremely violent or sexual content. However, more importantly, it can also refer to the utterance of a racial slur with the final "r" sound pronounced.

Sony had to give a response to the situation, claiming that it was not done on purpose and will be fixed. The problem has been successfully fixed and the term HARD has been replaced with the word CRIME (Crime R!). Sony's statement on this matter can be found below:

According to a statement from PlayStation, when two graphics were placed side by side in the game Stellar Blade, it created an inappropriate phrase that was not intentional. The creators of the game, Shift Up, did not intend to display offensive images and will be replacing the graffiti with a new version on the first day of the game's release.

As a person who invested roughly 30 hours playing the game, I didn't consider this spot to be the main city of Xion, given its extensive area, and I didn't examine every part of it. However, I understand why it occurred.

A city is not always constructed by hand with attention to every single detail. Certain elements such as graffiti are often duplicated and strewn throughout the scenery. In some cases, things like a sign for a meat market may even be found inside a kids’ toy store. Things like this may not always seem reasonable or appear well-kept, and sometimes there may be unsavory language scribbled about.

It was not on purpose, but rather an unlucky circumstance. It has sparked conversation within the gaming community. Some suggest that an American inclusion consulting organization may have been able to notice the issue, but it's uncertain if a limited group of individuals would have been able to catch it. The majority of reviewers did not even notice the problem.

However, the opposing group has labeled this as "journalists silencing Stellar Blade" due to their inability to criticize the anticipated low metacritic score. However, this was an unintentional mistake and not an attempt by SHIFT UP to be provocative. It's simply an effort to correct an error, so how does it limit SHIFT UP's freedom of speech? Honestly, I'm not even sure what their argument is, but it seems like they just wanted something to be angry about.

Regardless, it no longer exists. Gamers will not be able to come across it while playing. However, in a critical patch before the launch, Stellar Blade has incorporated New Game Plus which was introduced subsequently. As a result, I am eager to jump back in and start playing again. Can't wait!

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