Exciting news for fans of Stellar Blade: the game, initially released as a PlayStation exclusive in April, is officially making its way to PC in 2025. Dive deeper into the details of this much-anticipated PC release and what it means for gamers worldwide.
Stellar Blade is Coming to PC in 2025
Stellar Blade’s PC Release Could Potentially Require PSN
The buzz about a PC version of Stellar Blade started in June when SHIFT UP's CFO Jaewoo Ahn hinted at the possibility during the company's IPO press conference. Today, SHIFT UP has officially confirmed that the sci-fi action game will indeed be coming to PC in 2025. This announcement followed an investor's query about "platform expansion" in SHIFT UP's latest financial earnings report. The developers cited the growing popularity of PC gaming, especially on Steam, and the global success of similar titles like Black Myth: Wukong, as key factors driving their decision.
While a specific release date remains under wraps, SHIFT UP has outlined a strategy to keep the IP's momentum going. This includes a collaboration DLC with Platinum Game’s NieR: Automata and the introduction of a Photo Mode, both set to launch on November 20, alongside other marketing initiatives.
Stellar Blade joins a trend of high-profile PlayStation exclusives expanding to PC, following titles like God of War Ragnarök and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. However, this move brings up a contentious issue: the potential requirement for a PlayStation Network (PSN) account to play on PC.
As a Sony Interactive Entertainment-published title, and with SHIFT UP becoming a second-party developer for Sony in 2023, there's a high likelihood that Stellar Blade will ask PC players to link their Steam accounts to a PSN account. This requirement could exclude players in over 170 countries without PSN access from enjoying the game on PC.
Sony's CFO Hiroki Totoki has justified this PSN requirement as a means to ensure "safe" enjoyment of their live-service games. Yet, this reasoning becomes murky when applied to single-player titles like those in the Horizon series, raising questions about the necessity of such a restriction for Stellar Blade.
It's still unclear if Stellar Blade will indeed mandate a PSN account for its PC version. Since the IP is owned by SHIFT UP, not Sony, there's a chance this might not be the case. However, should a PSN account be required, it could impact the game's PC sales, potentially preventing them from surpassing console sales as SHIFT UP hopes.
In the meantime, if you're curious about Stellar Blade's initial reception, don't miss our in-depth review of the game below!
