Naughty Dog’s talented character concept designer, Hyoung Taek Nam, recently found themselves in the spotlight for a piece of fan art featuring Stellar Blade’s main character, Eve. The artwork, which was reshared by the game’s official account on X (formerly known as Twitter), drew some harsh reactions from fans who deemed it “ugly” and “revolting.” In response to this feedback, Stellar Blade’s developer, Shift Up, decided to share more of Nam’s artistic contributions.
### Stellar Blade Dev Embraces Fan Art
When Nam’s initial art piece was unveiled, the backlash wasn’t about the art’s quality per se. It mainly came from those who simply didn’t agree with Nam’s interpretation of Eve. This particular artwork, showing Eve in a battle with a Naytiba, appeared to attract a subset of critics.
Nam’s association with Naughty Dog, known for its realistic art style, seemed to intensify the scrutiny. Some trolls equate realism with a “woke” agenda, so it’s regrettable but unsurprising that this portrayal of Eve would provoke such reactions.
Just a few days after the initial post, the Stellar Blade account shared another of Nam’s fan art pieces. This new one was a softer portrait of Eve, differing from the first. Alongside this artwork came a statement addressing the backlash and emphasizing the value of diverse artistic styles.
“Artist Nam Hyoung Taek has once again drawn Eve for us,” Shift Up stated. “We’re very grateful for this, but we always welcome fan art in the style of the previous one.”
The statement, shared via a tweet from StellarBlade, included a thought-provoking message: “It’s not uncommon for fan art to have more of the artist’s style than the original, and we think that’s a very important and enjoyable point.”
Stellar Blade, which released in April exclusively for the PS5, has enjoyed several updates post-launch. These updates include enhancements for the PS5 Pro and exciting Nier: Automata crossover DLC.
