An unprecedented scandal is erupting around the upcoming South Korean action title Stellar Blade — the sequel subtitled Blood Rain. What started as heated forum posts has escalated: radical users on major English-language platforms, e.g., ResetEra, moved from flame threads to an organized campaign aimed at disrupting sales by flooding international payment systems — Visa and Mastercard — with complaints. Similar tactics by LGBT* activists have already hurt several storefronts in the past (Steam among them).
The immediate spark was the game's reveal at Summer Game Fest and some candid remarks from Shift Up studio head Hyun Tae Kim. The studio introduced a new lead, Evie, whose look some critics called "excessively youthful." In an IGN interview Kim said Evie was intentionally made smaller and younger than Eve to make combat scenes feel more dynamic; he also told fans costumes in the sequel would be “even more attractive.”
Kim even retweeted a comic meant to underline that Evie is not a child.
ResetEra moderators initially banned all discussion of the action game, but the backlash did not stop there. In themed subreddits and private groups, activists began circulating templates for official complaints to financial regulators and card networks. The tactic is straightforward: allege "legally questionable" content and try to get Visa and Mastercard to refuse processing transactions tied to the game.
LGBT* — an extremist movement banned in Russia.