Skullgirls update removes Nazi-inspired imagery, panty shots

This is the latest update to an old fighting game. Skullgirls focuses entirely on altering elements of the indie fighting game that could be considered too risqué, controversial, or insensitive. The changes made include updated costumes featuring Nazi-inspired imagery and shots of the upskirt of a 16 year old female fighter.

The update is now available. SkullgirlsSteam is flooded with negative comments from players who seem to want the game’s sexual objectification of a child and celebrations of Nazis.

“As many of you know, Skullgirls has had a long and colorful history shaped by a variety of contributors over the years,” said Charley Price, creative director at Skullgirls developer Hidden Variable, in a statement on the game’s official forums. “As we look ahead towards the future of SkullgirlsWe have reviewed past decisions about certain content which has undercut the things that make Skullgirls truly unique and special.”

SkullgirlsThe game was created by Mike Zaimont, a veteran of the fighting games industry and Alex Ahad, an artist. It debuted on 2012 under their joint creative direction. It was a hit with hard-core fighting game fans because of both the extensive expertise of Mike Zaimont and Alex Ahad’s unique art deco style. More recently, however, reports of Zaimont’s sexually inappropriate behavior behind the scenes has resulted in a shifting of control over the Skullgirls brand. Its new developers now also sound ready to distance themselves from some of the game’s seedier flourishes.

The majority of the population is not aware that Skullgirls’ appeal lies with its cartoonish depiction of women as cheesecake pinup models, this detail veered from simply off-color to inappropriate when it came to Filia, the game’s mascot. Filia, a sixteen-year-old girl from a school in Germany, is often depicted with either subtle or obvious panty images. This fetishization was such a core part of the depiction of Filia’s character that her underwear color and pattern could often be altered by players, depending on which palette they chose before a match.

A patch released in 2015 toned down these elements somewhat, but the most recent update goes a step further by changing several instances of Filia’s exposed underwear from white to black or, in some cases, removing the panty shot altogether. The intro scene from Filia’s story in which she’s sexually assaulted has also been adjusted to hide the more graphic elements of her harassment.

“While Skullgirls is no stranger to characters that confidently express their sexuality, there are instances in the game where characters are fetishized and/or have sexualization imposed upon them,” Price said in his statement. “This includes a few depictions of unwanted predatory behavior, particularly towards younger characters. While alluding to some of this can be narratively meaningful, we have made a number of small adjustments throughout the game to ensure that this content is less exploitative.”

Another major element of this week’s Skullgirls update concerns the Black Egrets, an antagonistic military force in the game’s universe that takes many of its visual cues from the real-world iconography of Nazi Germany. Price said this comparison was “way too close for comfort” given the continued presence of far-right movements across the world and, as such, Nazi-like armbands have been removed from several pieces of Black Egrets artwork as well as Parasoul, a playable character who acts as the group’s leader in the Skullgirls story.

The changes are minor and diverse. Skullgirls include:

• Toning down depictions of racial violence in Big Band’s story
• Removing the hair pick from Filia’s afro during her burst animation
• Removing several illustrations from the game’s guest art gallery
• The Soviet Announcer’s voice pack can be removed.
• Replacing the 18-hit combo fanfare (“Barely Legal” to “Spiffy”)

“We of course realize 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,” Price said. “Please know that all of these choices have been made following careful consideration and lengthy discussion amongst all members of the current development team. This will give a better foundation to the game. Skullgirls that we can all be proud of as we continue to grow and expand the universe in the years to come.”

Price has predicted the Steam Version of Skullgirls has been review-bombed with more than 2,000 negative reviews — some of which complain about “censorship” — but the game maintains an overall “very positive” user review score, based on some 21,000 reviews.

Does Hidden Variable’s update mean SkullgirlsWhat has suddenly become prudish now? No, of course not. The game still has the sexiness of the past decade, with characters like Cerebella and Valentine. This patch is a little housecleaning for the modern age. And seriously, does not being able to see a teenager’s panties suddenly make SkullgirlsThe classic, frenetic team-based game is not replaced by anything less. Marvel vs. Capcom series? People of good will should all be able agree on the fact that what makes a series? Skullgirls so great in the first place hasn’t gone away.