Sony says Stellar Blade’s “unintentional” racist art will be removed with day 1 patch

Stellar Blade reviewers spotted some questionable graffiti referencing some racial slurs, which publisher Sony promises will be removed ahead of launch.

Art found in Stellar Blade that seems to reference a racial slur will be fixed ahead of launch, according to the game’s publisher.

Some reviewing the game noticed a location in which graffiti reading “Hard” was placed next to an “R Shop” logo. The “Hard” tag is found throughout the game, and “R Shop” references the character Roxanne.

Placed together, though, the two pieces of artwork can be seen as a reference to a racial slur.

In a statement shared to IGN, PlayStation addressed the issue saying “The placement of two graphics near each other in Stellar Blade resulted in an unintentional objectionable phrase. Shift Up had no intention of creating offensive artwork and will be replacing the graffiti for the Day 1 patch.”

This will apply to both digital and physical copies of Stellar Blade.

Stellar Blade releases on April 26, 2024 for PlayStation 5. Dexerto’s own review called the game a “triumphant console debut” for developer Shift Up, saying Stellar Blade “delivers razor-sharp gameplay, fluid combat animations, and some beautiful environments to boot.”