Skullgirls makes improvements to hate group references, racial sensitivity and sexualization, predictably gets review-bombed on Steam

rockpapershotgun.com:

The developers behind Skullgirls have made a number of changes to the decade-old 2D fighter in order to correct elements they now believe to be in “poor taste”. The outcome? Hundreds of negative reviews on Steam, of course.

In a blog post detailing the changes, as spotted by PC Gamer, Skullgirls’ developers were upfront in acknowledging that some of the game’s original artwork and references no longer reflected the current team behind the game and actively “undermined” the game.

“As we look ahead towards the future of Skullgirls, we have reflected upon past decisions regarding certain content that has undermined the many things that make Skullgirls truly unique and special,” wrote director Charley Price.

“We have decided to make some changes to certain legacy content in the spirit of better reflecting our values and our broad vision for Skullgirls moving forward.”

Among the key changes are the removal of references to real-life hate groups, including red armbands worn by the game’s militaristic Black Egrets, which were reminiscent of those worn by Nazis.

“While the Renoir family and the Black Egrets were always intended to evoke imagery from an oppressive militant regime, we felt that the way that manifested (most notably via red armbands, flags, and symbolism) was too close for comfort - especially given the unfortunate reality that some of these hate groups are still active in various respects to this day,” Price explained.

Other small changes to Skullgirls’ artwork work to tone down the “sexualization” of characters and make their depiction less exploitative, including removing what Price described as “a few depictions of unwanted predatory behavior, particularly towards younger characters” - in some