Naughty Dog character concept designer Hyoung Taek Nam faced some backlash for creating fan art of the lead protagonist, Eve, from the game Stellar Blade. The artwork was reposted by the game’s official X account (formerly Twitter), and some fans criticized the artist’s interpretation as “ugly” and “revolting.” In response to the criticism, Stellar Blade developer Shift Up shared more of Nam’s art.
Stellar Blade developer embraces fan art
Despite the negative feedback on Nam’s initial artwork, the criticism appeared to be more about personal preference rather than the quality of the art itself. The fan art depicts Eve engaged in a battle with a Naytiba:
Some critics attribute the backlash to Nam’s association with Naughty Dog, known for its realistic art style. There is a group of trolls who equate realism with being “woke,” and this particular interpretation of Eve seems to have triggered them.
A few days later, the Stellar Blade account shared another fan art piece by Nam. This time, it was a portrait of Eve with softer features compared to the previous artwork. Shift Up also responded to the criticism from the earlier piece, expressing appreciation for fan art and highlighting the importance of artistic style:
“Artist Nam Hyoung Taek has once again created a depiction of Eve for us,” Shift Up stated. “We are thankful for this, but we always welcome fan art in a style similar to the previous piece.”
Shift Up further emphasized, “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 aspect.”
Stellar Blade was released in April exclusively for PS5, and it has received several updates, including PS5 Pro enhancements and crossover DLC with Nier: Automata.