Stellar Blade is certainly one of the most successful games released this year. The PlayStation 5 action game developed by South Korean developer Shift Up garnered widespread acclaim from critics and users alike when it launched last month. Our Kai Tatsumoto rated the game 9 out of 10 in his review:
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.
Taking a step back from Kim Hung Tae’s character designs for a moment, Stellar Blade is a phenomenal action RPG that evolves from the framework of NieR Replicant and NieR Automata to become one of the next cult classics.
It’s no big surprise, then, that Shift Up has big plans for this IP. The South Korean studio is preparing its initial public offering (IPO) and the documentation includes some juicy information, including upcoming DLC, a PC port, and a sequel.
Our Stellar Blade showed early signs of success as an original IP, with the highest user score on Metacritic (9.3 out of 10) among PS5 games in its first week of release. This figure is higher than recognized AAA titles such as God of War: Ragnarok, Elden Ring, and Ghost of Tsushima.
Stellar Blade seeks to encourage participation from not only existing users but also new users by introducing new play elements such as DLC release, PC version release, and new IP collaboration.
Elsewhere in the document, they wrote:
We are considering producing a PC version and sequel to Stellar Blade.
Shift Up isn’t putting all its eggs in one basket, anyway. They are also making Project Witches, which they believe will be a big hit:
We have very high expectations for Project Witches as the next-generation mega subculture IP that will surpass Goddess of Victory: Nike.
Did you play Stellar Blade yet and if so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments.
