As Stellar Blade surpasses 3 million global sales, director Hyung-tae Kim confirms the already-greenlit sequel will feature a more "substantial" narrative.
Speaking with This Is Game (via Genki), Kim revealed the team originally developed deeper storylines for Eve and companions, but soaring cinematic production costs forced significant cuts. This explains many unanswered worldbuilding questions - including the in-universe rationale behind Eve's frequent costume changes.
Why Existing Story Gaps Won't Be Patched
While Shift Up contemplated adding explanatory cutscenes post-launch, Kim worried these might conflict with players' existing understanding of the game. Instead, the team promises the sequel will deliver a "fully realized narrative experience."
Fans shouldn't anticipate the follow-up too soon though - the studio's currently focused on perfecting the PC conversion. Kim cautiously estimates a 2027 release window, pledging Shift Up will "give it our all."
Record-Breaking PC Debut
The June 11 Steam release of Stellar Blade instantly became Sony's highest-performing single-player launch on the platform, peaking at 192,000+ concurrent players. For context:
- Ghost of Tsushima peaked at 77,154 players
- God of War maxed at 73,529
- Spider-Man Remastered reached 66,436
IGN's 7/10 review praised the action fundamentals while critiquing: "Despite excellent combat systems, Stellar Blade stumbles with forgettable characters, underwhelming storytelling, and some frustrating RPG mechanics that hold it back from genre greatness."
Enhanced PC Features
The PC version boasts:
- AI upscaling (DLSS 4/FSR 3)
- Uncapped framerates
- Japanese/Chinese voiceovers
- Ultrawide support
- Higher-res environmental textures
- DualSense haptics integration
