Korean game developer Shift Up held an IPO press conference today, revealing that its latest game, Stellar Blade, has sold over a million units since its late April launch. That’s not very surprising, considering that the game topped the US sales charts that month.
Once codenamed Project Eve and announced for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, the game was later confirmed to be a PlayStation 5 exclusive published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Its results are, therefore, all the more impressive for the availability on a single platform, not to mention that it’s a brand-new intellectual property, which is inherently riskier than any established franchise.
The developers from Shift Up also shared some additional equally impressive figures. The Stellar Blade demo has been played more than twice compared to the demo of the highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Moreover, the studio believes significant sales are still possible, and they will continue updating the game to keep players’ interest high.
The long-awaited Photo Mode will be added with an update slated for August. New character skins for protagonist Eve will be released after October, and a ‘large collaboration’ is being prepared for late 2024. Moreover, Shift Up CEO Kim Hyeong-tae confirmed that the team is working on DLCs and the PC version, as previously announced (alongside a sequel, which is obviously further off in the future).
In the case of Stellar Blade, we created it to deliver a complete experience as a game created without considering purchasing additional content. As time goes by, we are identifying new needs and developing Stellar Blade. There is a possibility of developing paid DLC for elements such as external collaboration.
The game received a 9 out of 10 score in Wccftech’s review written by Kai Tatsumoto:
No butts about it, Stellar Blade is a marvelous feast for the eyes and a technically impressive action RPG. Those who find the hyper-sexualized Eve offputting will find little redemption in finding some modesty for the playable heroine, but at the same time, those already accustomed to the years following Bayonetta’s release and 2Booty memes will find the character designs enjoyable, to say the least. Stellar Blade is a fantastic action title and one PlayStation exclusive you’ll have to play after the kids go to bed.
