As Stellar Blade's highly anticipated release draws near, Game Director & CEO Kim Hyung-Tae has revealed more developments and details regarding the game.
Stellar Blade Confirms NG+ Post-Launch and No Microtransaction
Gear Collabs in the Future Might Require Payment Though
In a recent interview with Ruliweb, Stellar Blade Director and CEO Kim Hyung Tae revealed exciting plans for post-launch updates, promising additional content. These updates include New Game Plus (NG+) mode and a variety of new costumes which will be rolling out free of charge.
"We want to make it clear at this point that Stellar Blade will not require any additional expenses that gamers are not aware of beyond what they paid for the package," stated Kim in the interview. "The only exception is if we create collaboration costumes with another company’s IP, those may be sold for a fee."
Additionally, Kim reassured players of ongoing support through balance patches to address any potential issues and enhance gameplay. While the development team is undecided on releasing a Stellar Blade DLC, they are actively working on free updates.
Kojima IPs and NieR Could be Potential Stellar Blade Collaborations
Hideo Kojima revealed on Twitter (X) today that he had met with the Stellar Blade director, posting pictures of them together at Kojima Productions ahead of the title's release. Though it was a short post with Kojima saying he was with Kim, Stellar Blade is definitely acknowledged by the Metal Gear creator.
While NieR creator Yoko Taro expressed his admiration for Stellar Blade's character designs in an interview with 4gamer. Yoko Taro said he was already impressed by Kim's illustrations, but what he found more admirable was how cool and demanding Stellar Blade turned out overall. "Just like Kim’s illustrations of pretty girl, with incredible quality 3D graphics, it's a dream-like product that serves up action-packed combat."
Considering the interest shown by renowned industry figures and peers, Stellar Blade's collaborations with other games might not be too far off sometime after launch. Nevertheless, the director is about "80% satisfied" with how Stellar Blade has turned out. In any case, he promised to deliver at the highest standard.
Gymnastics, Ballet, and Collaborating with Korean Artists on the Clay
Stellar Blade is heavily influenced by ballet and gymnastics and highlights acrobatic movement, said Kim. "There are many different types of action games, and the action in Stellar Blade is not just about unleashing a barrage of attacks on your opponent and taking them down in style," the director told Ruliweb, "It was important for us to recognize what the enemy is doing and react to it, to feel like you and the monster are in sync."
Moreover on the topic of combat, Stellar Blade collaborated with renowned Korean clay artists, including designer Jang Hee-cheol, who is known for his work on Bong Joon-ho's movie "The Host." According to Kim, the process involved having Stellar Blade's monster sculpted and then 3D scanned to apply them to the game. "You can expect a high level of perfection," the director determinedly said.
Source:
Kim Hyung-Tae interview with Ruliweb
Yoko Taro interview with 4Gamer
