Shift Up CEO Reveals Stellar Blade Nearly Failed Due to Funding Crisis

Shift Up CEO Hyung-Tae Kim recently discussed the severe financial hardships faced during the development of Stellar Blade. The studio approached multiple investors and major publishers with the project, only to face widespread rejection. Many backers believed the game would not break even and viewed it as a risky venture rather than a valuable asset. Some advisors even suggested abandoning the title in favor of other projects to increase the company's valuation.

At one point, the studio’s funds were so depleted that they could only cover employee salaries for approximately three months. This crisis occurred before the mobile hit Goddess of Victory: NIKKE provided financial stability. Despite these challenges and Kim’s own initial doubts about creating such a title in South Korea, the team persisted. Their efforts eventually impressed Shuhei Yoshida of Sony Interactive Entertainment, leading to a publishing deal. The game is now available on PlayStation 5 and Windows, with a Switch 2 version scheduled for November 5, 2026.