PS5 Exclusive Stellar Blade Reportedly Rated Adults-Only in Korea for Nudity and Violence

ign.com:

Upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive Stellar Blade appears to have an age-rating in Korea — and it won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s seen gameplay.

Stellar Blade is developed by Korean studio Shift Up and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as a PS5 exclusive. It’s an action game heavily inspired by the likes of Nier Automata, Bayonetta, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and stars a badass anime-inspired female protagonist called Eve, who many are comparing to 2B and Bayonetta.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Stellar Blade game director Hyung-Tae Kim said Shift Up had "put special attention" into Eve's back, because that's what players see for the vast majority of their time in-game.

With that in mind, Stellar Blade’s adults-only age rating in Korea makes a lot of sense. Korean website This Is Game reported Eve appears to be naked while wearing certain costumes, and the violence involves mutilation with plenty of blood.

While PEGI and ESRB are yet to publish their Stellar Blade ratings, it seems likely the game will be rated along similar lines in the West ahead of its launch on April 26.

Stellar Blade was first announced back in 2019, then known under the codename Project Eve, and was initially announced for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The game would then appear two years later at a September 2021 State of Play presentation, where it was presented as a PS5 exclusive. Roughly a year later, Shift Up revealed the game's official title and a 2023 release window. Then, after missing its 2023 release window, Stellar Blade appeared in January’s State of Play 2024.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.