Steam game slammed with negative reviews after removing Nazi-like imagery and sexual content

Indie fighting game, Skullgirls, has been bombed with bad reviews after its developer altered old artwork it deemed to be “in poor taste.”

Released in 2012, Skullgirls is a 2D fighting game that received critical acclaim for its blend of complex skill-based gameplay with stunning visuals. It’s currently available on Steam, as well as all console platforms.

Recently though, the game’s developer Reverge Labs, came under fire for altering in-game artwork, removing Nazi-like imagery as well as sexual content. The recent patch notes drew attention to the changes, saying the update has taken out "allusions to real-world hate groups" related to the Skullgirls' Black Egret army, which features a Nazi-like red armband on the uniform. It also reportedly removed instances where characters, especially younger ones, have been “fetishised and/or have sexualization imposed upon them.”

The patch notes also pointed out content related to race being in “poor taste”, which has also been changed.

While most people would commend the developers for their honesty and commitment to correcting their mistakes made in the past, others have been less supportive, going so far as to review-bomb the game on Steam.

The majority of poor reviews cite the new update as a form of censorship that removes the game’s charm, and criticising the title for being too “woke” now.

"Devs care more about virtue signalling than their game," one wrote. "Well censorship just took away any trickle of wanting to reinstall again. Ok game, bad updates," said another. "Update is infected with terminal stage woke mind virus," another user added.

Much of the criticism comes from early adopters of the Skullgirls, as the title originally began its life as a crowdfunded game, resulting in many angry fans feeling like the new update is a slap in the face for those who supported it since its inception.

Of course, Revenge Labs has responded to the backlash but don’t plan on reverting the changes, saying: "We of course realise that some members of the Skullgirls community may disagree with these changes, either in terms of how we chose to address them or whether they were in fact issues that warranted addressing in the first place… Please know that all of these choices have been made following careful consideration and lengthy discussion amongst all members of the current development team. Beyond this post, we do not intend to discuss the particulars of these changes further."

Luckily, there are still many fans who are supporting the developers decision to alter distasteful content, many of which don’t believe it negatively affects the style and gameplay of the title.

Skullgirls is currently available on all modern platforms.