Summary
Stellar Bladedeveloper Shift Up is already staffing up for its next project. This information has arrived via some newly emerged job listings, which also suggest that Shift Up’s new game will share some similarities withStellar Bladeitself.
Founded in 2013, Shift Up is a South Korean studio that originally specialized in mobile titles. It found early success withDestiny Child, a gacha RPG which was launched for Android and iOS devices in 2016. That release warranted a spin-off in the formDestiny Child: Defense War, a 2020 mobile title that also featured gacha mechanics, but delivered an SRPG-like gameplay loop with grid-based combat. The company’s upcoming game is a fairly big departure from its mobile roots, not just because of its PS5 exclusivity, but also due to the fact thatStellar Bladeis a mature-rated ARPG.
Shift Up’s Next Game Will Have Some Similarities to Stellar Blade
Be that as it may, the game itself won’t be a one-off, according to some newly publicized job ads from Shift Up. The listings, first spotted byGamingBolt, reveal that the Seoul-based company is presently in the process of preparing for its second-ever big-budget project. Much likeStellar Blade, the mysterious title is envisioned as an action RPG taking place in an “urban sci-fi” setting with some monster-like creatures, according to a machine translation of one of the job openings.
Anothersimilarity toStellar Bladeconcerns the project’s engine of choice, as the upcoming game is also planned to be made in Epic’s Unreal Engine.Stellar Bladeitself uses Unreal Engine 4, but it is plausible that Shift Up’s next game will utilize the newer version of the popular engine, which was released in April 2022. Given how several job listings describe the unannounced title as a “AAA” project, the game itself will presumably be targeting consoles, PC, or both. That is also implied by the fact that several job openings ask for candidates who are well-versed in both PC and console development.
Shift Up’s Next Game Overview
AlthoughStellar Bladeitself is a PS5 exclusive, it wasn’t always planned as such. Shift Up only partnered with Sony in 2021, after former SIE Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida played theStellar Bladeprototype and pushed for the Japanese gaming giant to publish the game.
Shift Up’s next title will presumably be handled by Second EVE Studio, the company’s subsidiary that was established with the explicit purpose of making big-budget console games, starting withStellar Blade. Speaking of which, the much-marketed RPG is finally scheduled to hit physical and digital store shelves on April 26. In the meantime, PS5 owners can alreadydownload theStellar Bladedemo, which reached the PlayStation Store on March 29 and has been fairly well-received by the fandom.
Stellar Blade
WHERE TO PLAY
RECLAIM EARTH FOR HUMANKIND The future of humanity hangs in the balance in Stellar Blade, an all-new story-driven action adventure. Ravaged by strange, powerful creatures, Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of the decimated human race has fled to a Colony in outer space. After travelling from the Colony, 7th Airborne Squad member EVE arrives on the desolate remains of our planet with a clear-cut mission: to save humankind by reclaiming Earth from the Naytiba – the malevolent force that has devastated it. But as EVE tackles the Naytiba one-by-one, piecing together the mysteries of the past in the ruins of human civilization, she realizes that her mission is far from straightforward. In fact, almost nothing is as it seems…
