Sony has confirmed that an unintentional offensive reference in the sci-fi game Stellar Blade will be removed in a day-one patch. The reference involves the word “hard” in pink spray paint appearing alongside other elements in the game that, when viewed together, could be interpreted as an allusion to a racial slur.
Stellar Blade embargo is up so I can finally show you the “Hard R Shop” graffiti lmao wonder how long this’ll take to get patched out. pic.twitter.com/e7xv2aoxGz
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) April 24, 2024
In one location of the game, this graffiti appears next to a neon sign for an “R shop,” where a character named Roxanne is encountered. When combined, the text on the wall spells out “Hard R Shop,” which could be seen as a joke referencing a racial slur.
Sony stated to IGN that the placement of these graphics was unintentional and Shift Up, the developers, did not intend to create offensive artwork. They will replace the graffiti in a day one patch.
The offensive reference seems to have already been removed from the game. It’s unclear if this change will be included in physical copies of the game or only through downloadable patches.
It’s not uncommon for offensive content to accidentally make its way into games. In the past, other games like Destiny 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Overwatch have also had offensive imagery or references removed or altered after release.
