| Stellar Blade | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | DLC & Pre-Order | Review |
Stellar Blade is an action-adventure game created by Shift-Up Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PS5. Read on to learn about the game's latest news and developments!
← Return to Stellar Blade main article
Stellar Blade News
2025
November 26
⚫︎ Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has partnered with Tencent to publish its upcoming cross-platform game, Project Spirits. The game, co-developed with Tencent affiliate Yongxing Interactive on Unreal Engine 5, was previously called Project Witches. Shift Up describes it as a “subculture cross-platform title” inspired by Eastern fantasy.
November 24
⚫︎ Stellar Blade posted 192,000 peak PC players, the highest for a single-player PlayStation port. The record was previously held by 2018’s Ghost of Tsushima, with 77,000. God of War reached 73,000, while Marvel’s Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us followed behind.
November 22
⚫︎ Stellar Blade 2 is reportedly coming to multiple platforms according to a recruitment post by ShiftUp. The next-gen action game aims to release on both consoles and PC.
September 30
⚫︎ Stellar Blade's latest update includes new endgame content. The update, called update 1.4.1, includes three new epilogue scenes focusing on Eve and the People of Xion, as well as balance changes and fixes for PC players.
September 4
⚫︎ Shift Up will be expanding the Stellar Blade franchise after its successful launch according to their semi-annual report. The studio plans to develop various derivative works
to further establish the IP, looking to create an expanded world and enhanced gameplay for its sequel, Stellar Blade 2.
Surpass The Success of the Original Game,
Claim Devs (Game8)
August 25
⚫︎ Following a resurfaced photo from a 2015 game conference, Stellar Blade director Hyung-tae Kim and Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada reflected on their early careers. Kim used the moment to half-jokingly ask if Harada would add EVE to Tekken.
August 12
⚫︎ Shift Up’s 2025 results report highlights Stellar Blade’s continued success, surpassing three million sales across PC and PS5 and peaking at nearly 200,000 concurrent Steam players with 98% positive reviews. The game now holds the top spot in Sony’s PlayStation PC performance history, doubling the previous record for peak concurrent users. Meanwhile, Project Spirit remains on track for a post-2027 release.
August 5
⚫︎ Stellar Blade update 1.3.0 arrived on both PC and PlayStation ports, yet PC players have reported that the update has broken their game and rendered their mods unusable. Several players cannot start the game even when uninstalling the mods. There have been workarounds, but Shift Up has yet to fix the issue directly.
June 22
⚫︎ The official Stellar Blade social media account was compromised over the weekend, with unauthorized posts promoting cryptocurrency airdrops and suspicious sign-up links. Director Hyung-Tae Kim alerted followers to the breach on Saturday, urging them not to engage with the content.
June 19
⚫︎ Stellar Blade Director and ShiftUp CEO Hyung-tae Kim views modding in a positive light and is not a fan of restricting it as it prohibits player freedom and creativity. Instead, he urges players to make mods responsibly as it is out of the studio's hands whatever fans do with the game after selling them.
June 18
⚫︎ Across all platforms, Stellar Blade has surpassed 3 million units sold since its release.
June 17
⚫︎ Stellar Blade has emerged as PlayStation’s most successful single-player title on PC to date, recording a peak of 192,078 concurrent players on Steam, according to data from SteamDB.
June 14
⚫︎ According to Rock Paper Shotgun Senior Staff Writer Mark Warren, he calculated that approximately 40.54% of Stellar Blade’s PC mods fall under NSFW content.
June 12
⚫︎ The PC version of Stellar Blade by Shift Up Studios has become only the second PlayStation-published title to surpass 100,000 concurrent players on Steam.
June 2
⚫︎ The Goddess of Victory: Nikke co-developer and publisher Level Infinite announced on their website last week, May 30, that they will be having a livestream featuring the NIKKE x Stellar Blade collaboration. According to GameToc’s interview with SHIFT UP Technical Director Lee Dong-ki in May 2024, this crossover event may bring Stellar Blade characters Eve, Lily, Raven, and Taki.
Furthmore, a demo for Stellar Blade was released for PC on Steam, which features the beggining of the first stage including the first boss battle.
May 22
⚫︎ Developer SHIFT UP just dropped a trailer for their upcoming Goddess of Victory: NIKKE DLC collaboration. Fans spotted the peculiar chibi-dog meme Doro that many are shocked to see in the trailer.
At the end of the video, Doro made a quick appearance and had a short interaction with Stellar Blade’s protagonist Eve. The online meme sensation is fully animated and visualized in all its glory, doing poses, running around, and ending the trailer with a laugh.
May 21
⚫︎ Stellar Blade developer Shift Up Studios has announced during a recent investor meeting that a sequel to Stellar Blade is being considered.
May 19
⚫︎ Stellar Blade is set to be released on PC, and developer SHIFT UP addressed fan concerns regarding the game’s inclusion of Denuvo (DRM). They clarified that "DRM has been hard tuned to maintain the same average frame rate, with even higher minimum frames in some cases."
May 15
⚫︎ Stellar Blade is set to launch on PC with a range of technical enhancements and new content, including a new boss fight and plenty of costumes—features that will also be available to PlayStation 5 players through a free update. However, the PC release has faced criticism due to regional restrictions affecting over 100 countries, likely tied to Sony’s PSN integration policies, despite the game not requiring a PSN account to play. Additionally, the inclusion of Denuvo DRM has raised concerns among PC players, though the developer claims performance remains strong across various setups.
May 13
⚫︎ Stellar Blade comes to PC on June 11, based on the recent trailer revealed by PlayStation. However, it seems that they have uploaded the video too early and have since taken it down. Fans quickly recorded the trailer, and copies of the video have been circulating online.
Alongside the release date announcement, the trailer showed that the game will have a complete edition and some pre-order bonuses.
April 25
⚫︎ Shift Up has released a new image from Stellar Blade to celebrate the game’s first anniversary, just ahead of its upcoming PC launch on Steam next month.
April 9
⚫︎ SHIFT UP, the developer behind Stellar Blade, and figure maker JND Studios opened pre-orders on April 18 for 1/3 scale hyper-realistic figures of characters EVE and Tachy. The Dual version, priced at $3,599, sold out within minutes, while limited stock remains for the individual EVE figure, priced at $2,199. The statues are scheduled for release in Q3 2026.
April 9
⚫︎ JND Studios will produce officially licensed, hyper-realistic figurines of Stellar Blade protagonist Eve and eighth boss Tachy. The collaboration with Shift-Up was first announced in July 2024, and on April 8, 2025, JND confirmed which two characters would be sculpted. Collectibles are expected to release later this year.
February 12
⚫︎ During the latest State of Play, Shift Up announced that Stellar Blade will launch on PC in June 2025. The studio also confirmed that the Goddess of Victory: Nikke DLC will arrive the same month, featuring a new boss battle, collectible dolls and stickers, and an additional outfit.
January 6
⚫︎ Shift Up Studio has kicked off the new year by awarding every employee a PlayStation 5 Pro console and a collective monetary bonus of ¥1,000,000 (approximately $32,000). The gesture follows the studio’s successful 2023 debut of Stellar Blade—its first console title—on PlayStation 5, which earned positive reviews, strong sales, and multiple nominations at The Game Awards.
2024
December 17
⚫︎ PlayStation Blog's Game of the Year 2024 Awards were just released, and Stellar Blade managed to snag a win for Eve in one major category. In the Best New Character category, Stellar Blade’s Eve led the field alongside Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Jane Harrow, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Emmrich Volkarin, and Rise of the Rōnin’s Ryoma Sakamoto, who collectively claimed the majority of votes. Notable write-in mentions included Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Strohl, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail’s Wuk Lamat, and Helldivers 2’s General Brasch, each enjoying significant fan support.
December 16
⚫︎ On December 17, 2024, Stellar Blade invites players to its holiday event in Xion, transforming the city square and The Last Gulp gathering hall with festive lights, a colorful Christmas tree, and seasonal decorations.
In-camp ambience will feature the new BGM tracks “Dawn (Winter)” and “Take Me Away,” offering a soothing, romantic soundtrack to unwind from battle. A holiday-themed mini‑game will also be debuting, providing a lighthearted diversion and rewards upon completion.
November 26
⚫︎ Shift Up has released a patch to resolve issues introduced alongside the Stellar Blade x Nier Automata update. The free update, which added Nier Automata–themed cosmetics and a new Photo Mode, had quickly become popular for its Easter eggs—particularly Eve’s 2B outfits—but also led to unexpected crashes and missing costumes.
The recent hotfix targets Photo Mode stability, preventing crashes that occurred when players attempted in-game screenshots. It also restores any disappearing Nier Automata outfits, ensuring those who’ve collected all Stellar Tears or tracked down elusive Great Desert fish for the War Dress can fully enjoy the new content without interruption.
November 22
⚫︎ Shift Up Studio’s technical director Donki Lee announced two major updates on November 11, 2024, following the strong performance of Stellar Blade.
First, the team released a free update (version 1.009.001) that adds four new outfits and one accessory—obtainable through an in‑game ending—alongside expanded lip‑sync support and the newly introduced photo mode.
Second, Lee confirmed the launch of Stellar Blade’s first paid DLC, a crossover with NieR: Automata. This collaboration, developed jointly by Directors Kim Hyung Tae and Yoko Taro, stems from Automata’s noted influence on the project and was described by Lee as “a collaboration marked by mutual respect and creativity.”
November 18
⚫︎ Despite strong expectations from fans, Stellar Blade did not secure a spot among the finalists for Game of the Year at The Game Awards. The omission has sparked debate on social media, especially in light of the inclusion of downloadable content (DLC) for Elden Ring among the nominees.
While Stellar Blade missed the top honor, it did earn nominations in two categories: Best Action Game and Best Score and Music, recognizing its gameplay excellence and soundtrack.
