Shift Up, the developer behind Korean action game Stellar Blade, has confirmed the game will receive a sequel. News of the followup to 2024’s buxom battling adventure game was revealed in an investors relation presentation on May 16, with a copy of the presentation uploaded to Shift Up’s official website on May 20.
Within the presentation, an seemingly innocuous slide charting the rise in visibility of Shift Up’s intellectual property (IP) plotted a Stellar Blade sequel at some point following the game’s “platform expansion.”
Image Credit: Shift Up
Investor Presentation Confirms Stellar Blade Sequel In Development
The presentation also revealed a new project alongside Shift Up’s existing IP, Nikke and Stellar Blade, entitled <Project Witches>. This presentation also seemed to confirm Project Witches was not Stellar Blade 2, and instead its own project.
Within the document, Shift Up highlighted Nikke and Stellar Blade’s great performance within a market it labeled the “subculture game market.” Charting its success against mobile, gacha, and anime-inspired titles such as Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Blue Archive, as well as upcoming titles like Umamusume Pretty Derby and a new Fate/Grand Order title.
Chart detailing the planned Stellar Blade Sequel. Image Credit: Shift Up
The developer highlighted that with such a high level of competition, the market had faced cannibalization and rising expectations from users amid a growth in its overall size. However, despite this Stellar Blade and Goddess of Victory: Nikke, Shift Up’s primary titles, had outcompeted many of its rivals.
As a result, it seems like a sequel and expansion is a natural move for the developer.
Stellar Blade released in April 2024, and was incredibly well received, currently standing at an 81 metacritic score, and 9.2 user score. The game is set for release on PC soon, boosting its already significant playerbase.
While the IR presentation didn’t give dates, it’s expected that Stellar Blade 2 is slated for a 2026 release, given it is plotted before a 2027 section on the chart.
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