It remains to be seen how deeply Sony will be involved in the sequel to Stellar Blade, as South Korean developer Shift Up prepares to transition toward self-publishing its own titles.
PlayStation was instrumental in the triumph of Stellar Blade, providing a level of marketing muscle typically reserved for first-party exclusives and serving as the publisher of record for both the PS5 and PC versions.
According to reporting from the Korean outlet GameMeca, a recent job vacancy at Shift Up signals a “strategic leap onto the global stage.” The studio is reportedly looking to bolster its internal capabilities to publish its future projects independently across consoles and PC.
Following Shift Up’s IPO in 2024, CEO Tae-hyun Kim noted that while the studio would remain focused on game creation, self-publishing was a definitive goal for the future. It appears that future is materializing sooner than anticipated.
Source: iXBT.games