LogInThe presence of Denuvo, the price, and the game's unavailability in 129 regions didn't sit right with the community.
Less than a month before its highly anticipated release, the PC version of Shift Up's Stellar Blade has landed in controversy, with waves of backlash hitting the game all over social media. But unlike what you might expect, the criticism comes not from the 21st-century puritans who have been lambasting the game since launch for its characters and revealing outfits, but from Stellar Blade's very own fans, who are unhappy with how the upcoming PC release is being handled.
Over on platforms like Twitter and Reddit, the Steam version of the game has come under fire over several issues, boiling down to three main points of contention.
Firstly, and most significantly, fans have taken issue with the inclusion of Denuvo, a controversial DRM software widely detested for hurting game performance and the anti-gamer stance of its developer, Irdeto. The second point of contention revolves around the game's unavailability in most countries of our planet, which has led many to believe the PC version will come with a mandatory PSN requirement. And finally, there's the $70 price tag, which has raised eyebrows given that Stellar Blade isn't a new release and amid growing frustration over rising game prices in general.
To its credit, the Stellar Blade team was quick on its feet to address the criticism, stating on Twitter that the game won't require a mandatory PSN login and that, despite including Denuvo, it still delivers high frame rates across various setups, even reaching 45-50 FPS on Steam Deck with the right settings:
Their addressing the issues, however, did little to quell the uprising. As many have pointed out, with or without PSN, the game is still unavailable in 129 countries and territories – essentially covering all non-first-world regions – and Denuvo still holds an abysmal reputation within the gaming community, with a slew of issues that go beyond just performance.
Interestingly, instead of targeting Stellar Blade's developer Shift Up, the community has largely directed its criticism at Sony, the game's publisher, drawing parallels with the situation from a year ago when the forced inclusion of PSN in Helldivers II strained the game's relationship with its fanbase due to the publisher's interference.
While it's likely, whether or not Sony is actually behind the trio of outlined issues is still up for debate. As it stands, Stellar Blade has less than a month to address what's disappointing its fans, and whether it succeeds may affect the goodwill the title has enjoyed since launch.
Don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.