The creator of Terraria Andrew “Redigit” Spinks and developer Loki ISP responded to concerns that the game might remove gender selection in an upcoming patch by claiming that he and his team had not removed anything.

As first seen in the Steam curator list “Woke and Censored Games Alert”, the character creation options for Terraria seem to be changing in the upcoming version 1.4.5. Specifically, the game seems to be removing the ability to choose between male and female characters using the gender symbols.

As seen in the following video by YouTuber Tales of Lumin, players previously had the option to choose between male and female characters with different body types for both.

READ: Report: Re-Logic’s ‘Terraria’ Removed Gender Selection in Latest Patch 13 Years After Release

A screenshot of the game’s upcoming character editor shared on social media by Scratch_Point_Z appears to show that the feature will be removed in the game’s upcoming version 1.4.5. Instead, all body types will be side by side and the male and female features will no longer be available.

Terraria’s upcoming 1.4.5 update appears to remove male and female, 13 years after the game’s release. Update patches are increasingly becoming a way to retrospectively and maliciously edit games long after purchase to enforce so-called modern standards. pic.twitter.com/6GLEMt0RW5

— Scratch Point (@Scratch_Point_Z) 16 August 2024

Redigit responded to Scratch Point’s post, saying, “Before this update, body type and pain sounds were linked. Now that we’ve added voice customization (a much-requested feature), body type is a separate option. We haven’t removed anything; in fact, we’re giving players more control over their character.”

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In response to a user’s question about which body types were male and female in the WIP image, Redigit wrote: “The image on the right was WIP. I think they are too close together in this image. We’ve already adjusted it.”

Another user then asked, “I find it hard to believe this wasn’t an intentional change. Like, did you redesign the entire UI? Because it certainly doesn’t look like a change that would have ‘accidentally’ changed that.”

Terraria developer Loki ISP then responded: “Do you want WIP spoilers during development or not? I mean, we can stop showing something until it’s 100% finished and polished if that’s the desire? Otherwise, what you see is always WIP and subject to change. This was shown 14 months ago, things evolve during development.”

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Rockmih then replied, “Dude, come on. I’m literally asking you if you redesigned the entire UI because that would explain it to some extent. Don’t act like I’m unreasonable for questioning your decision to remove gender references. I love your work guys, but that doesn’t mean I won’t criticize you or ask questions.”

Loki ISP responded: “Red said it was in the works and has already changed since then. They said/implied that was wrong for some reason. Once again, nothing has been removed. You can create the exact same characters with the exact same sprites as before – and more. The voice has been decoupled from the appearance, that’s all.”

Rockmih then asked directly if gender symbols had been removed from the game, to which Loki ISP replied: “To be honest, we didn’t put much thought into this. We thought it should be pretty easy for people to identify which body types are male or female – especially since armor changes depending on the player’s gender, as it always has been (and still is).”

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He added in a follow-up: “That’s literally it – we simplify things in one place and expand functionality elsewhere, so we’re not adding more complexity than necessary. The idea that this is a massive political statement only exists in your head. No sprites have changed, armor is still tied to gender, etc.”

When asked why the symbols were removed, Loki ISP evaded the question, pointing out that gender still plays a role in the game.

He wrote: “Dishonest? Gender is in play – there are clearly male/female models with different armor looks. The only change was the decoupling of the voice, which required a UI element, so we simplified elsewhere. At no point for 14 months was this an issue until it was accidental…”

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Rockmih replied: “Yeah, dishonest. The problem is that during character creation, nobody says anything about the models at any point (at least not me). For me, this is the first time I’ve seen the image in question. It’s a problem of notoriety, not everyone keeps up to date with such things.”

Loki ISP responded: “The SOTG posts are getting a ton of attention. We never made a statement about gender in any way. Nobody asked for it. People took a picture from June 2023 and used it. Now it’s been cleared up so hopefully things are clearer… like you said, hopefully just a misunderstanding.”

Scracth Point also asked candidly, “Does the creator clearly show male and female or are the symbols gone? Since you said this is a WIP image, can you post what the creator will finally look like?”

He received no response from Redigit or Loki ISP.

Does the creator clearly show male and female or are the symbols gone? Since you said this is a WIP image, can you post what the creator will finally look like?

— Scratch Point (@Scratch_Point_Z) 16 August 2024

What do you think of this answer from the developers?

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