Hyung-Tae Kim

It sounds like Korean developer Shift Up may revert its controversial Stellar Blade outfit changes, as it’s told fans to “stay tuned for updates” and thanked players for their “passion and feedback”. For those out of the loop, a petition went viral this weekend after gamers noticed some alterations to a couple of the release’s costumes, incorporated by the release’s day one patch.

Stellar Blade will get a Boss Challenge mode in a future update.

There are a lot of things to discover in Stellar Blade, but the primary type of collectible is cans. As you explore the PS5 console exclusive’s Naytiba-inhabited world, you’ll discover all sorts of tins, ranging from iced coffee to soda. All of these brands, however, are fictional – because Korean developer Shift Up wasn’t able to secure a partnership with a real-life manufacturer like Pepsi or Coca-Cola.

Stellar Blade’s boss battles are among its most memorable moments, so it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that developer Shift Up is plotting a kind of boss rush mode for its PS5 debut. Teased by director Hyung-Tae Kim in an interview with Korean publication Nate, he revealed that some kind of arcade-style back-to-back boss challenge option is currently in the early stages of production.

Given the unrelenting thirst inspired by Stellar Blade's Eve, you might not be surprised to learn that director Hyung-Tae Kim is a big fan of some of gaming's most notable sex symbols, including Final Fantasy 7's Tifa and Nier: Automata's 2B. But you might not have expected Eve to have been inspired by the lead of a 21-year-old GameCube cult classic.

Stellar Blade has achieved Metacritic’s highest user score of 2024 so far.

The worlds of PS5’s hot new console exclusive Stellar Blade and gacha mobile sensation NIKKE: Goddess of Victory will collide in the near future. Director Hyung-Tae Kim already teased the possibility of a collaboration in an interview with Push Square earlier in the year, but now he’s confirmed to Gamer Braves that “a very high-quality crossover” will launch later down the line. He added: “It’s something you can definitely look forward to.”

Stellar Blade has launched to huge acclaim this weekend, but not every fan is delighted with Shift Up’s PS5 debut. Eagle-eyed players spotted some changes to a couple of costumes in the final product, prompting accusations of censorship from publisher Sony. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time the Japanese giant has requested changes in PlayStation games, as more titillating cutscenes in titles like Devil May Cry 5 were inexplicably edited on PS4 in the past. This decision was later reversed.

A group of Stellar Blade fans have accused developer Shift Up and publisher Sony of "censoring" the game. This comes as some of Eve's outfits were found to have received changes in the day one patch, with fans arguing that the alterations amount to censorship.

Who is the real-life model Eve is based on in Stellar Blade? Eve's curves and revealing attire has attracted a lot of fans to Shift Up's console debut, but is she inspired by a real person and who is it? On this page, as part of our Stellar Blade guide, we're going to answer the question: who is the real-life model Eve is based on?

The director of Stellar Blade has explained that what players are describing as input lag during certain moves is a deliberate choice.

Stellar Blade’s New Game Plus mode has been made available earlier than expected.

Since the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 era, Japanese developers have struggled to keep up with their Western colleagues, as, according to the NieR series creator, they are not good at adapting technology from overseas for multiple reasons.

Nier Automata's director believes Japanese game developers have had difficulty implementing "Western systems" because it was hard for them to move away from Japanese-made game engines.

Nier director Yoko Taro says that the upcoming action RPG Stellar Blade makes him "quite jealous" as he reckons it's "much better" than Automata itself – strong words of praise, if not a tad self-deprecating from Taro. 

Stellar Blade is better than NieR: Automata, according to the latter's esteemed director Yoko Taro.

Nier director Yoko Taro says the work that inspired Nier: Automata the most was Neon Genesis Evangelion, so much so that the RPG's story is "pretty much just a retelling of Evangelion, so there's not much originality to it."

Many of you have been enjoying the Stellar Blade demo on the PS5, so much so that the developers would like you to "please go easy" as they're "scared."

Stellar Blade players determined to use the action RPG's NSFW 'skin suit' or die trying are challenging themselves to beat the demo's boss without taking any damage, despite the game director's advice to remain clothed. 

Stellar Blade is launching exclusively on PS5 at the end of the month, on 26th of April, and anticipation is high amongst enthusiasts for the appealing action RPG. We love what we've played so far. Still, not an insignificant amount of attention is directed at the game due to its more aesthetic attributes and the many eye-catching outfits on offer for protagonist Eve.

Stellar Blade's director says you won't have to pay a dime for additional content—that is, unless the studio teams up with another developer to create crossover content. 

Stellar Blade's director has advised players to kit their Eve out with actual clothes, after revealing the 'Skin Suit' would punish players by reducing their damage-repelling capabilities.

Stellar Blade doesn't have a photo mode, but its developer will consider adding one if fans make enough noise, and we're sure they will.

Pre-orders for physical copies of the PS5’s upcoming Stellar Blade have opened in South Korea, and the goodies are stunning. As spotted by a Shift Up fan account, buyers can choose between a vinyl soundtrack or a themed USB stick, with the former sporting some particularly fetching artwork. In fact, we’re not sure why this isn’t the box art, because it looks absolutely incredible.

An update reveals that there are post-launch plans for Stellar-Blade in the form of additional costumes. Stellar Blade has made waves in the gaming community as a third-person action-adventure game with impressive graphics. This game appears to have potential, and Sony seems to have vouched on the matter, partnering with developer Shift Up and publishing under Sony Interactive Entertainment. Stellar Blade is expected to be released on April 24.

When we interviewed Korean developer Shift Up recently, it emphasised the point that Stellar Blade’s selection of 30 costumes would all be included in-game at launch, with no microtransactions or additional purchases necessary. However, speaking with Game Informer, director Hyung-Tae Kim has hinted more outfits could be added post-release.

Developer Shift Up has confirmed that its upcoming PS5 exclusive action RPG Stellar Blade will feature multiple options to allow players to tweak the game's performance. These settings will take the form of three different Stellar Blade graphics settings that players can choose based on their preferences.

Shift Up’s Stellar Blade is coming soon to PS5, and several new details are available following an impressive showing at the latest State of Play. The action-adventure RPG promises fast-paced action akin to NieR: Automata (which served as a “huge driving force” for the project), but for those who aren’t as skilled, there are options to make things easier.

The United States’ Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated Shift Up’s Stellar Blade, and to no one’s surprise, it’s “M” for “Mature 17+” due to “Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, and Violence.”

The developers behind the upcoming Stellar Blade revealed the real-life South Korean model they worked with in order to create the game's action heroine, Eve. Stellar Blade has been a hot topic of discussion ever since its re-reveal in 2023, with many anticipating its April 26 release. The design of Stellar Blade's protagonist has dominated conversations, especially after the game's latest State of Play trailer.

The upcoming Stellar Blade for PlayStation 5 has received an 18+ age rating in Korea.

Upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive Stellar Blade appears to have an age-rating in Korea — and it won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s seen gameplay.

Upcoming PS5 exclusive Stellar Blade will reportedly be rated for adults only, due to nudity and violence. 

Stellar Blade’s big re-reveal during last week’s State of Play focused on its English dub, with many fans commenting they’d prefer to play the game in either Japanese or its native Korean. Speaking with developer Shift Up during an interview earlier today, we quizzed Game Director Hyung-Tae Kim on this topic.

Even to casual fans of Yoko Taro's esoteric NieR franchise, the similarities to the upcoming and eagerly anticipated Stellar Blade are apparent—both feature flashy, action-based gameplay and buxom, blade-wielding protagonists, for starters. Rather than shy away from these comparisons, director Hyung-Tae Kim of Seoul-based developer Shift Up is refreshingly forthright, proclaiming it a «great honour» to be compared to such a storied developer as Taro himself.

A chunk of Stellar Blade’s online discourse has revolved around the PS5 exclusive release’s buxom protagonist Eve, with social media scuttlebutt suggesting the character is based on real-life South Korean model Shin Jae-eun. We’ve been searching for confirmation of the Instagram star’s inclusion for several weeks now, and so we went directly to the source, asking Game Director Hyung-Tae Kim if the rumours are true.

NIKKE: Goddess of Victory, Korean developer Shift Up’s saucy gacha shooter, is one of the biggest mobile games on the planet, raking in upwards of $25 million per month according to Sensor Tower data. It’s always felt inevitable, then, that the studio will draw upon the game’s enormous audience to promote upcoming PS5 exclusive Stellar Blade – and quizzed on whether that’ll be the case, Game Director Hyung-Tae Kim cryptically confirmed in an interview with Push Square that it will.

There’s been much hand-wringing among the PlayStation fanbase about Sony’s reported obsession with live service games, but two of its upcoming titles – Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade – are single player centric, and unashamedly old-school in their design. We spoke to Korean developer Shift Up, who’s currently working on the latter title, about its approach to the title – and it stressed that traditional single player campaigns with definitive endings are still extremely important.

PlayStation fans have been frustrated by Sony’s seeming overemphasis on live service game development behind-the-scenes, but that makes Stellar Blade a real breath of fresh air. A staunchly single player PS5 character action title, it marks Korean developer Shift Up’s first foray into the world of consoles – and it’s generating an enormous amount of enthusiasm due to its dazzling visuals and throwback vibes. We caught up with Game Director Hyung-Tae Kim and Technical Director Dong-Gi Lee to learn a little more about the upcoming outing, due out on 26th April.

The latest State of Play trailer for Shift Up’s Stellar Blade had several noteworthy elements, from the stylish combat and visuals to the various costumes for protagonist Eve. Those keen on cosmetic customization can take note as there seem to be dozens of choices.

The director behind the upcoming Stellar Blade has revealed the amount of costumes available to wear, with 30 in total being unlockable in-game. Stellar Blade is releasing on April 26, with many gamers keeping their eyes on it after its re-reveal in 2023. Its developer, Shift Up, is making its debut as a high-end console developer with Stellar Blade, with the game garnering attention for its sci-fi setting and its characters. The protagonist of Stellar Blade, Eve, has been a hot topic of discussion ever since the game's reveal.

Stellar Blade finally got a new trailer during PlayStation's State of Play showcase earlier this month, giving us a look at the game's fast-paced combat and a release date to jot down in our calendars. Despite looking like an excellent Nier Automata-inspired, Xbox 360 throwback, most of the talk surrounding the title is all about main character Eve's body.

Stellar Blade developers have opened up about protagonist Eve's character design. As the team's first major console release, Stellar Blade marks a notable evolution from Shift Up's prior works like Goddess of Victory: Nikke. Attention has turned to the developers' stylistic choices in light of their transition beyond the mobile sphere.

You might have already been won over by Stellar Blade's ultra-stylish action and even more stylish protagonist, but the director has now delved deeper into the roleplaying side of things, explaining how "you can change your Eve."