Fighting Games Friday: The Renewed Skullgirls
Skullgirls has been no stranger to the occasional scandal throughout its remarkable 11-year run, one bound to make it to 12 with more content on the way. Some were publisher and company-centric ones, like Konami dropping the game as a publisher early in its life, leaving it delisted for several weeks. Others were sillier and Gamer-centric, like the complaints regarding the amount for downloadable content crowdfunded through IndieGoGo from an audience that had (and perhaps still has) no idea of how much game development costs. Not to mention the small matter of lead design director and programmer Mike “Mike Z” Zaimont being outed as a sexual harasser, taking developer Lab Zero Games down with him. The remaining team established a new home at Future Club, their third one following Lab Zero and Reverge Labs.
None of those feel quite like the current controversy. Current game director Charley “MightyZug” Price outlined the changes made in the newest patch through a Steam forums post and on social media sites, which focused on removing and altering skeevier and edgier content. Examples included altering the armbands of the Renoir family and the Black Egrets, largely valiant characters with outfits that too closely resembled Nazi uniforms and other hate groups inspired by them. Altering certain pieces of artwork was also among the changes, like 16-year-old Fillia’s panty shot in the Story Mode intro. Lastly, issues that invoked racial stereotypes like the Saxploitation VO pack were removed, alongside, as the director stated, a story scene involving black character Big Band being beaten by police.
Those listed above were regarded as “examples” because more changes were made beyond them. Four pieces of fanart were removed, and 15 pieces of art were modified. The “Soviet Announcer” voice pack was also removed for unknown reasons (there are several guesses as to why, though), and the “Barely Legal” combo phrase was removed.
It’s brave on the parts of the development team at Future Club and Hidden Variable to make all these changes after more than a decade. It shows how the team has matured over time, especially without one person in particular at the top who joked about George Floyd’s murder. But it was bound to become instant culture war fodder in a post-GamerGate world, with the same audience that lobbied complaints at, say, Nintendo for altered content in Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, which gave rise to the deservedly-maligned “vagina bones” phrase. This has, and will always be, inane when the complaints involve no longer seeing the undergarments of teenaged characters.
That said, there are worthwhile points made about the changes. Some complaints have centered on how a game fans already paid for and have played for years has been changed in a way they don’t like. This fundamentally makes it different from the aforementioned #FE situation, which received changes to the western release before anyone paid for it. It was a tough tightrope to walk, and for as much as I don’t mind changes made, those players aren’t wrong about the game they originally purchased being different now even if they were related to its aesthetics.
For anyone who makes a good point about a game they liked being changed, there are about five others who take it too far and embrace Bad Gamer stereotypes. We’re on the internet, and the existence of social media and review sections has led to constant embracement of hyperbole. Several Steam reviews complained about the game being the newest example of the “wokeness” scourge, and it’s become a weapon for several (though not all) people who clearly have no experience with the actual game. Complaints about retroactive changes to base and downloadable content that players paid for have merit, even if they don’t affect the game’s balance. But anyone who uses variants of “woke” and other culture war nonsense terms as an insult should be viewed with serious skepticism.
It’s understandable for the development team to want to distance themselves from the “ecchi” content with underage characters and Mike Z himself. But this was a difficult decision and a result with few winners. It’s correct to say that a game that players purchased has been altered, even if they’re mostly through the aesthetics, thus representing a certain meme. Perhaps Future Club and Hidden Variable should have saved these for a sequel, assuming they finally tackle one. It would have led to similar complaints, but at least they wouldn’t have purchased it beforehand.
There won’t be a pretty way out of this. Those criticizing the changes make good points, for as much as I disagree with them, but those spamming user reviews and, worse, abusing the development staff on social media aren’t helping anyone. The game itself should be fine in the long run for the developers and the community still supporting it through the downloadable content and small tournaments. It’s still incredible that a game released during a time when Super Street Fighter IV was the biggest game at fighting game tournaments. But the controversy will continue to be part of the conversation, and might overshadow details about balance alterations and new characters and the impending Xbox release in some communities.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
