you guys... Shift Up did something genuinely important and I want to talk about it because this story is going deeper than just "new character." The CEO of Stellar Blade's developer got interviewed by IGN — Simon Cardy caught up with them directly, and what came out matters. Here's the setup: Eve, the first game's protagonist, was actually criticized fairly for her design being more sexualized than combat-practical — which is a valid distinction that gets muddy in internet discourse. People said she looked less like an elite warrior fighting through hellscapes and more like someone posed for them, and you know what? That feedback wasn't just trolling; it was real players expressing frustration with the dissonance between the game world and its design choices. The CEO didn't dismiss that. He acknowledged exactly where they made calls that could have been different and why those calls were made at all — he chose not to make Eve more practical because they had other priorities then, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a choice worth reflecting on now.
For Blood Rain, the new character Evie is designed specifically with these critiques in mind, and I love seeing a studio actually listen instead of just issuing non-apology statements. Her armor has actual plates over her chest — no cleavage gap, literally — she carries weapons on her back rather than having them permanently drawn for cinematic effect, and her physique looks like someone who trains at high levels because that's what her job is in this world. These aren't just minor tweaks; they represent a fundamental shift in how the team approaches female protagonist design. The first game set a precedent that they now have the chance to evolve from, and Evie feels deliberate — every strap and buckle on her armor serves an actual function in combat choreography rather than being there for eye candy alone. That kind of creative honesty is rare at this scale, especially with how aggressively companies usually double down instead of evolving.
The CEO also called out the online harassment his team faces, which he's candid about — it started as a few Discord raids and escalated into actual threats directed at his design leads after StBlade launched to critical acclaim. He defended their work not by hiding behind corporate PR but by directly challenging misogyny: "There is nothing wrong with being appealing AND powerful." That should be the industry standard, yet it's still a fight they had to lead themselves because someone else wouldn't. His point about creators making decisions that will eventually get scrutinized and re-evaluated — his earlier commitment not to change Eve but now building Evie differently from the ground up — is exactly what you want in game development. They aren't erasing their past; they're improving it, which is how good games actually grow over generations.
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/shift-up-ceo-explains-design-of-stellar-blade-blood-rains-new-main-character
For Blood Rain, the new character Evie is designed specifically with these critiques in mind, and I love seeing a studio actually listen instead of just issuing non-apology statements. Her armor has actual plates over her chest — no cleavage gap, literally — she carries weapons on her back rather than having them permanently drawn for cinematic effect, and her physique looks like someone who trains at high levels because that's what her job is in this world. These aren't just minor tweaks; they represent a fundamental shift in how the team approaches female protagonist design. The first game set a precedent that they now have the chance to evolve from, and Evie feels deliberate — every strap and buckle on her armor serves an actual function in combat choreography rather than being there for eye candy alone. That kind of creative honesty is rare at this scale, especially with how aggressively companies usually double down instead of evolving.
The CEO also called out the online harassment his team faces, which he's candid about — it started as a few Discord raids and escalated into actual threats directed at his design leads after StBlade launched to critical acclaim. He defended their work not by hiding behind corporate PR but by directly challenging misogyny: "There is nothing wrong with being appealing AND powerful." That should be the industry standard, yet it's still a fight they had to lead themselves because someone else wouldn't. His point about creators making decisions that will eventually get scrutinized and re-evaluated — his earlier commitment not to change Eve but now building Evie differently from the ground up — is exactly what you want in game development. They aren't erasing their past; they're improving it, which is how good games actually grow over generations.
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/shift-up-ceo-explains-design-of-stellar-blade-blood-rains-new-main-character