Less than a month ahead of its highly anticipated PC launch, Stellar Blade the breakout action title from Korean developer Shift Up is facing growing backlash from its own fanbase. Once celebrated for its sleek combat, eye-catching visuals, and unapologetically bold character design, the game now finds itself at the center of controversy for reasons unrelated to its content. The Steam version of the game has come under fire over several issues, boiling down to three main points of contention.
Across platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and gaming forums, fans have begun voicing strong discontent with the way the PC version is being handled. The criticism is largely directed not at the game’s developer, but at its publisher, Sony, and centers around three key issues: the inclusion of Denuvo DRM, regional unavailability, and a €70 price tag.
At the top of the list is Denuvo, a digital rights management (DRM) software developed by Irdeto that has long been a sore point for PC gamers. Known for its aggressive anti-piracy measures, Denuvo has also been widely criticized for negatively affecting game performance, reducing frame rates, and introducing stuttering even on high-end systems.
Despite these concerns, the Stellar Blade team has publicly stated that the PC version remains well-optimized. According to a recent tweet, the game can still achieve 45-50 FPS on a Steam Deck when properly configured. However, many in the gaming community remain skeptical. For years, Denuvo has symbolized what many perceive as an anti-consumer stance in the industry, and its mere presence is enough to turn off a sizable portion of the PC gaming audience.
The second issue lies in the game’s severely limited availability. As it currently stands, Stellar Blade will not be available in 129 Countries and territories. This effectively locks out a significant portion of the global gaming community, particularly those in non-Western regions.
Initially, this fueled speculation that the PC release might require a mandatory PlayStation Network (PSN) login a point of contention reminiscent of the Helldivers II debacle from 2024, where Sony’s insistence on PSN integration led to widespread backlash. While the Stellar Blade team has since clarified that no such requirement will be in place, the game’s absence from large parts of the world remains a frustrating obstacle for international fans.
Interestingly, most of the community’s ire hasn’t been directed at Shift Up, but at Sony. Gamers have increasingly begun to identify a pattern of overreach from the publisher, especially when it comes to PC ports. The comparison to the Helldivers II situation is telling, as many believe Sony’s policies not developer decisions are driving these controversial implementations.
Whether or not Sony is ultimately responsible for all three major concerns is still up for debate, but the optics aren’t great. With less than a month until release, there’s still time to course-correct but unless meaningful changes are made, Stellar Blade risks launching on PC with a fractured and frustrated fanbase.