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#FreeStelllarBlade petition demanding game's original clothing hits over 50k signatures

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
1. For Real? Is it Montana or Alabama or some shit?
2. VPN is cheap.

 

Waifus

Banned
If two months ago anyone on a videogame forum was asked about the chance of getting a legit AAA ARPG game featuring the outfits Stellar Blade has everyone would have replied "No way, Jose". Even the few who knew Shift Us from previous games would have said no. All those free costumes, not paid DLCs. People would never believe it, and rightfully so.

We are acting as if that is common in big-budget games. Regardless of the reason why the bunny suit got "nerfed" you can't say with a straight face that this game is sexually censored.

gIja5JA.jpeg
Y know the game has a mature rating, right? This is nothing.
 

Crayon

Member
Let's say you are at the Bugatti dealership and the salesman hands you the keys to this amazing new car you just bought. You're excited, your friends and family are happy for you. You drive it home and have a really great time. Then later you're surfing facebook and you see the salesman post a picture of him dragging his balls up and down the steering wheel of your brand new car.

Does it make the car less cool? Not objectively, no. But don't you feel just a little bit slighted?

32948015.gif
 
Seems completely fair to me...

Game was advertised a certain way, not to mention the developers themselves saying the game wasn't going to be censored in any way, then not that long after the game releases, they censor things (The costumes and the blood).
And if it's "allowed", they will censor even more.

Some people here are turning this into "Incels" mad, others are going "I don't like censorship, but it ain't that deep". Handwaving it, basically.

When one, "incel" is such a meaningless word at this point, that even engaging with it makes me feel stupid, so I won't beyond just saying that there are less mind-numbingly basic-minded ways to hand-wave this.

And two, if you are opposed to censorship in art, you should oppose ALL OF IT. Not doing so, proves you have no principals.

Just because you choose to frame this as "Mad cuz no tits", doesn't mean there's no merit to what they are going for with this.
 

Three

Member
'questions' my ass. this isn't about 'asking questions'. it's about acting like spoiled children who, despite having gotten 99.9% of what they've been highly anticipating, haven't gotten absolutely all of it, & can't stop focusing on & whining about that 0.1%. embarrassingly childish behavior...
Believe it or not somebody asked the "questions" for them already but they're just so spoiled that they called the response a lie and they're not even waiting for the dev who told them they'll answer that question soon, of giving them what they want, to get back to them.
 

MagiusNecros

Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
Let's say you are at the Bugatti dealership and the salesman hands you the keys to this amazing new car you just bought. You're excited, your friends and family are happy for you. You drive it home and have a really great time. Then later you're surfing facebook and you see the salesman post a picture of him dragging his balls up and down the steering wheel of your brand new car.

Does it make the car less cool? Not objectively, no. But don't you feel just a little bit slighted?
I'd be slighted if they keyed my car or slashed my tires right before driving it off the lot. Your example still leaves the car in pristine condition IMO since the steering wheel can be cleaned rather easily.

More apt comparison is getting a Burger and Fries with Gravy one day and the next day they have no Gravy. And fries without gravy is just a travesty.
 
So making a petition and requesting the originals being added back in constitutes as embarassingly childish behavior according to you, but saying something like this:

Is level headed adult behavior?


Calling devs liars and boycotting is entitled bitch behavior.

People would get their bunny if they did what mature people do: ask politely. Devs listen and make changes if enough people want it. They have changed costumes in Nikke by popular demand. They will add Photo Mode if players want. They were open to that.

Now, "fans" are insulting them as badly as IGN or Kotaku. Do you really think that's the way of dealing with creators? The obvious reply to that behavior is never to give anything again. It's the only lesson they will learn from this.
 

Crayon

Member
Well my last three posts I think have been in the wrong thread. Anyway I meant to put this here...

Got to say I'm not with people calling others incels. As a matter of fact I'm not into any overly loaded language being used in serious discussions.
 
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Pejo

Gold Member
Calling devs liars and boycotting is entitled bitch behavior.

People would get their bunny if they did what mature people do: ask politely. Devs listen and make changes if enough people want it. They have changed costumes in Nikke by popular demand. They will add Photo Mode if players want. They were open to that.

Now, "fans" are insulting them as badly as IGN or Kotaku. Do you really think that's the way of dealing with creators? The obvious reply to that behavior is never to give anything again. It's the only lesson they will learn from this.
But at least in the petition (taken from the official change.org site) is literally fluffing them up and asking nicely.... Is there some cringe mixed in? Yep, but they're not delivering death threats or ultimatums like you're claiming.

I urge you to read this.
Stellar Blade is a phenomenal new game that just launched on Playstation 5 worldwide. But it has a problem. The content has been censored from the original trailer version posted by Sony. We, as gamers, want this content back. We relied on it, we made the game the #1 pre-order worldwide because of it, and this is the true game we want.

Stellar Blade is more than a game, it has become a cultural beacon for freedom of expression in a time where Game Publishers like Sony are censoring games more than ever. Stellar Blade was a breath of fresh air and gamer rallied behind it because it meant things were changing, getting better, and the voice of creative freedom was ringing loud and clear.

But for reasons unknown, the game was censored, changes were made. What we received after our good faith purchase was not the same as advertised.

We believe in the game, we believe in Shift Up, and we are asking to get the game we believed in. Revert the censorship changes, patch the game, and you will find that even more gamers will join you and support you!

All gamers can help by signing this petition. It will be printed in Korea and delivered in Korea to Shift Up offices, and physically printed and delivered to Sony Playstation North America offices. Spread this petition on Social Media with the #FreeStellarBlade hashtag.
 

Crayon

Member
So originally, I thought, censorship bad. But the more I hear about this story, the more I am beginning to realize that it was so minimal, it's not worth the concern.

Sometimes, you just gotta take the L.

It's not an L!!!

That's what's making me mad about this. It's a huge win. Look at the state of the game we got! If it is censorship caused by outside pressure, we should be cackling that that was the best they could do.
 

Crayon

Member
FUCKING TEXAS. Pornhub and Brazzers are blocked here now.

Holy shit. I'm aware of the arguments against p*** availability, and I think they have a lot of merit, but we are nowhere within light years of ready to go censoring the internet yet. Jfc.

Dumb laws have been passed and didn't work out and had to be repealed when they turned out to be unenforceable or just retarded, so maybe this will be the case.

EDT: wow today I learned my voice to text will bleep out p***
 
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But at least in the petition (taken from the official change.org site) is literally fluffing them up and asking nicely.... Is there some cringe mixed in? Yep, but they're not delivering death threats or ultimatums like you're claiming.

I urge you to read this.


Despite the moderate tone of the petition, this has snowballed badly, as it was expected in social media. Censorship is a strong word that easily triggers people, and also attracts rage-baiters that only add noise to the conversation.

A similar petition without culture wars and censorship would be much better. But, of course, that wouldn't be controversial and give clicks.
 

Pejo

Gold Member
A similar petition without culture wars and censorship would be much better. But, of course, that wouldn't be controversial and give clicks.
I agree wholeheartedly that I wish it could have just been a clear "we just want the costumes back as an option" thing without all the fighting and accusations. The drama muddies the water for everybody involved, but that's asking humans to go against their own nature. If we've seen anything in years past it's that people love their drama.

I think a good first step would not be labeling everyone as incels and losers immediately for being involved in the petition.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
But at least in the petition (taken from the official change.org site) is literally fluffing them up and asking nicely.... Is there some cringe mixed in? Yep, but they're not delivering death threats or ultimatums like you're claiming.

I urge you to read this.
Except the developers are saying this is what they want and then this is saying 'no it isn't' and we would like to respect your freedom.of expression by making you change it.
 
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Pejo

Gold Member
Except the developers are saying this is what they want and then this is saying 'no it isn't' and we would like to respect your freedom.of expression by making you change it.
I feel like I'm playing whack-a-mole with this comment. The originals were already on the pressed discs. What is being asked for is an option to use those costumes without going through hoops of not updating the game or playing offline. It's additive, not reductive.
 

Loomy

Thinks Microaggressions are Real
I feel like I'm playing whack-a-mole with this comment. The originals were already on the pressed discs. What is being asked for is an option to use those costumes without going through hoops of not updating the game or playing offline. It's additive, not reductive.
I get what you're saying. I really do. The game was "done", got the all clear from all departments, and then changes were made, and I can see why that would be frustrating.

But we live in an age where the game that goes gold and is pressed onto discs is rarely ever the "finished" game.

"Update costumes" may have been on their Jira board for the past year, but since it was not seen as a high priority task, it was left undone until they finished the things they needed to finish for the game to pass certification and to go gold.

In 2024, game on disc should not be considered "the game" as bad as that sounds.

Having said that, you and others are probably right in that the costumes were changed in anticipation of some backlash from certain media outlets. Even if that's the reason they changed it, it's still "their version". No one makes games in a vacuum, right? You build for the markets, and audiences you want.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
I feel like I'm playing whack-a-mole with this comment. The originals were already on the pressed discs. What is being asked for is an option to use those costumes without going through hoops of not updating the game or playing offline. It's additive, not reductive.
And if they weren't happy with the way the costume looked and changed it to something they did like in the time between the final disc code and release?
It's fine if you want to use the original costumes because you think they look better and dont really care what the developer thinks, but no-one would make a petition for that.
Instead we get this bullshit talking about cultural touch stones and freedom of expression and censorship and how people didn't get the game they were promised because an outfit has an extra bit of lace.
 

Pejo

Gold Member
I get what you're saying. I really do. The game was "done", got the all clear from all departments, and then changes were made, and I can see why that would be frustrating.

But we live in an age where the game that goes gold and is pressed onto discs is rarely ever the "finished" game.

"Update costumes" may have been on their Jira board for the past year, but since it was not seen as a high priority task, it was left undone until they finished the things they needed to finish for the game to pass certification and to go gold.

In 2024, game on disc should not be considered "the game" as bad as that sounds.
Unfortunate but fair point. I still don't believe it myself, but I am willing to put it into the realm of possibilities of "why did this happen"?
Having said that, you and others are probably right in that the costumes were changed in anticipation of some backlash from certain media outlets. Even if that's the reason they changed it, it's still "their version". No one makes games in a vacuum, right? You build for the markets, and audiences you want.
Yea. And to people whose first reaction to this is "it's such a non-issue, look at the costumes that are still in the game!", I agree with that too. It'd be such an easy layup at this point for Sony/ShiftUp to just make the costumes a toggle and call it a day. The designs obviously made it past the ratings boards since they were on the disc when it went gold, and they're not out of place considering the other costumes currently in the game. That way if you like the original looks with the cleavage and high rise, good for you. You like the lace and undergarmet added? Good for you too! Everybody wins. Most importantly, the product displayed is the one delivered, and their "no censorship in any region" tweet isn't a lie anymore. Wins all the way around.

I even get the people that don't care about the game, don't care about the costumes, don't care about the drama. What I don't get are the people anti-having the old costumes be an option. I don't see the ground they're standing on for that viewpoint.
 
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poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Unfortunate but fair point. I still don't believe it myself, but I am willing to put it into the realm of possibilities of "why did this happen"?

Yea. And to people whose first reaction to this is "it's such a non-issue, look at the costumes that are still in the game!", I agree with that too. It'd be such an easy layup at this point for Sony/ShiftUp to just make the costumes a toggle and call it a day. The designs obviously made it past the ratings boards since they were on the disc when it went gold, and they're not out of place considering the other costumes currently in the game. That way if you like the original looks with the cleavage and high rise, good for you. You like the lace and undergarmet added? Good for you too! Everybody wins. Most importantly, the product displayed is the one delivered, and their "no censorship in any region" tweet isn't a lie anymore. Wins all the way around.

I even get the people that don't care about the game, don't care about the costumes, don't care about the drama. What I don't get are the people anti-having the old costumes be an option. I don't see the ground they're standing on for that viewpoint.
This is all based on the assumption that they censored these costumes rather than made artistic decisions - an assumption not supported by the devs themselves - who have been happy to be outspoken up to now.
I don't really care about the costumes if they are added or not - but the hypocrisy of forcing a dev to make changes to their game in the name of the devs freedom of expression is infuriating to me.
 

Pejo

Gold Member
This is all based on the assumption that they censored these costumes rather than made artistic decisions - an assumption not supported by the devs themselves - who have been happy to be outspoken up to now.
I don't really care about the costumes if they are added or not - but the hypocrisy of forcing a dev to make changes to their game in the name of the devs freedom of expression is infuriating to me.
It's not like they're demanding new costumes. The work is done, the costumes are done. They're on the disc and the hard drives of the devs. Technically you can just play offline with a disc and that doesn't "force" the devs to lift a damn finger. You're being unreasonable about this in my opinion, but I think we're just gonna have to agree to disagree here.
 
'questions' my ass. this isn't about 'asking questions'. it's about acting like spoiled children who, despite having gotten 99.9% of what they've been highly anticipating, haven't gotten absolutely all of it, & can't stop focusing on & whining about that 0.1%. embarrassingly childish behavior...
I dunno... if this was something MS was doing half this board would have massive fake outrage, but being on the other side of the fence it's getting hand waived.

Either way, if people were shown something, then purchased it and Sony changed it, albeit a small change, it's still false advertising. And censorship sucks, especially when no reason is given for it. They're probably doing it just to test the waters for what they can get away with, and who/how many will defend them over it.
 

consoul

Member
The game was promoted with a certain level of gore and racy costumes. The devs explicitly say it will be uncensored across all territories.

It then launches with a day one patch toning down the gore and making some costumes more modest.

If you can't understand why some people view this as a bait and switch, you're not real sharp.

I'm not convinced pressure from Sony was the reason for the changes, and we'll likely never know the truth of it. The excuse about it being their intended artistic vision smacks of corporate damage control. Let's be real: the intended artistic vision was what went gold.

Do I give two fucks about the content? Not really. Do I care about bait and switch marketing? Yes, it's bullshit in any context.
 
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poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
It's not like they're demanding new costumes. The work is done, the costumes are done. They're on the disc and the hard drives of the devs. Technically you can just play offline with a disc and that doesn't "force" the devs to lift a damn finger. You're being unreasonable about this in my opinion, but I think we're just gonna have to agree to disagree here.
Ok, imagine the costumes were reversed and the original had a slightly less risqué version and they patched day one and changed it to remove the extra bit of lace. Then a petition was made demanding that to protect the devs freedom of expression the original less revealing costumes should be made available.
Would it be unreasonable then?
 
You're all a bunch of easily offended crybabies.

What is the difference between "Fuck this game, it's so sexists it will literally lead to women being abused" and "Fuck this game, the developers promised sexy costumes, but at the last minute changed it to...[checks screenshots] ...sexy costumes".
They're both unhinged reactions to a harmless piece of entertainment you can easily ignore/avoid if you're that offended by it.
so. the reality of the situation is this:

This drama is just a fuck you to the other side.

so. if the choice is between fuck me and fuck you well, you should know what side I am going to take.

regardless. these clowns can keep making their content and "fight the good fight" and keep farming clicks/view.


but one thing is true. this drama exists in the world (thanks to the internet) and the director is aware of it.

so. there are 2 outcomes:

1. everything is going to state te same

L


2. if fans want the old outfits they will have the option to use them.

W.

it was never about censorship, it is about the perception of changing something due to the pressure from a certain group of people.

as stoopit as this drama is, one wants their virtual TTs and the other is actively trying to impose their ideology at the expense of others.

edit: I just received a moderation warning for insppropriate behavior but I dunno what behavior it was.

I'm thinking it was the fuck me-fuck you statement. If so, I have to clarify that it was not directed to the person. it was a figure of speech between a choice of two options where one is not beneficial to me and the other one is
 
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ToneyJ

Member
I'm not emotionally invested in the issue (since they offer much more revealing costumes already).

But with that said, the devs should totally offer the old ones as alternatives. Just patch it back in and get an easy win.
It's so easy for them to patch it too. Easy W.

Which tells me if they don't, it's Sony's doing or it's an issue with country restrictions (e.g. Country X wouldn't approve the game without censoring Costume Y)
 
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Newari

Member
It's a bit unfortunate that this kinda stuff is where the resisting censorship (of any kind) starts, but it has to start somewhere. I'll say it again, tolerating small "insignificant" changes over many years got us from classic Lara to Spiderman 2 MJ.
Also, the hip coverings of the bunny suit look like they are just doodled on with ms-paint
 

Eotheod

Member
The customer base didn’t want censorship, the developers didn’t want censorship, but the publisher arbitrarily decided to impose it in the final hour. You don’t need to care about the costumes themselves to voice opposition to this outcome.
In the day and age where media like video games can be changed after release at whim, what really constitutes final design merit?
 
Ok, imagine the costumes were reversed and the original had a slightly less risqué version and they patched day one and changed it to remove the extra bit of lace. Then a petition was made demanding that to protect the devs freedom of expression the original less revealing costumes should be made available.
Would it be unreasonable then?
We all know that the marketing of this game has been focused on the attractiveness and sexualization of the main protagonist. So making the costumes even more risque that what were featured in the previews would have been over-delivering on their marketing.

I think the example you used would only be applicable if, for example, the original devs had marketed the game as celebrating DEI/ inclusivity with the protagonist being an obese trans-alien-cyborg with blue, shoulder-length hair and one side shaved, thus making all the Reeeeeeeset people cream themselves with anticipation.... and then with the last minute changes to sexier costumes, you'd have the some of Reeee peeps celebrating saying, "yay, body positivity," and others decrying the "oversexualization" of transpeople (like what happened with Cyberpunk).
 
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