Stellar Blade Story Is Weak Admits Shift Up and Explains Why; Planned Story DLC Shifted to Sequel Due to Larger Than Expected Scope

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Key Takeaways

  • Originally, Shift Up planned detailed story elements and numerous cutscenes, but had to cut back due to the burden of production.
  • Shift Up is cautious about patching the current game’s narrative but aims to deliver a richer narrative in a potential sequel.
  • The initially planned story DLC for Stellar Blade grew in scope and is now being developed as a full sequel, with a tentative release target of 2027.

In my viewpoint, although Stellar Blade’s gameplay is truly exceptional, its narrative doesn’t quite live up to the same standards. Interestingly enough, this isn’t a deliberate choice on Shift Up’s part to make it less serious, but rather a consequence of developmental and time limitations they had to face.

Should you be new to the narrative of Stellar Blade, it revolves around a period when Earth was forcibly vacated by beings known as the Naytiba. Players assume the role of Eve, a soldier from the 7th Airborn Squad, tasked with returning Earth to human control. Along the way, Eve encounters two survivors, Adam and Lily.

I mean, it’s not a bad story, but not very original and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

As it turns out, even Shift Up’s boss admits the game’s story was weak.

Stellar Blade Story Is Poor and Shift Up Explains Why

During an interview with the Korean gaming site ThisIsGame, Shift Up’s CEO, Kim Hyung-hyung, along with Technical Director Lee Dong-gi, were inquired about multiple aspects of their game, with its narrative being one of them.

Were the creators of Stellar Blade queried regarding the feedback that its storyline could have been more robust, and whether they intend to enrich or strengthen the primary plotline in the coming years.

Hyung-Tae Kim expressed his gratitude for the support received on the PC version and acknowledged the concerns about the game’s story being weak. He explained that while the main gameplay systems were developed early, creating the cutscenes posed a challenge and significantly delayed the project’s completion. In an action game with a narrative, cutscenes are essential for effective storytelling as it can be difficult to communicate all aspects of the story through action alone.

Hyung-Tae Kim went on to explain, “At first, we intended to create numerous settings and scenes to develop the storyline. For instance, during the early stages of production, we even incorporated intricate details like why the main character switches her wardrobe. However, as work advanced, the demand for producing scenes became overwhelming. Consequently, we were forced to reduce scenes that contributed to world-building and character development, except for the primary storyline, to ensure efficiency. This was the only method we could complete the game on time.

In Korea, the foundation for creating story-based video games isn’t yet completely developed, including both the necessary infrastructure and a sufficient pool of skilled professionals.

Regarding the upcoming sequel of Stellar Blade, Kim stated that they aim to deliver a more comprehensive storyline. They expressed concerns about making hasty repairs to the previous game’s narrative, as it might clash with what players have already accepted. However, if given the chance to create a sequel, they believe they can present a much fuller and coherent narrative.

During the very same interview, the head of the studio was queried about the authenticity of transforming the originally intended story DLC into a complete sequel, and if there was any truth to its projected launch in 2027.

Kim clarified the situation by saying, “Was that announcement made officially? If so, I’m afraid there was an error on the part of our IR team. Yes, you are correct. During the development of the DLC, it expanded beyond what we had initially anticipated, causing us to re-focus our efforts on turning it into a full sequel. However, much has changed since then.

Although the PC version has recently been launched, keep in mind that they’re currently immersed in the research and development (R&D) stage regarding the sequel. This means that while our resources have been dedicated to the PC release, the sequel is not yet advanced due to us being in a phase where we’re brainstorming ideas on how to deliver an exciting vision for the future.

Kim mentioned, “To tell you the truth, after completing the PC version post the PlayStation release, we’re now at last able to dive into serious research and development. Releasing it in 2027 would be ideal, but with only three years remaining, I can only assure you that we’ll do our utmost. However, what I can guarantee is that it will be an exceptional game.

As a die-hard fan, it’s understandable that with Kim confirming Stellar Blade 2 is still in development, the anticipated release date for 2027 may shift. After all, R&D phases can take time. Regarding story DLC, since it seems to be part of the sequel now, we might not see any additional chapters just yet. However, who knows? We could still enjoy exciting content drops similar to the NieR and NIKKE collaborations down the line. These types of smaller content additions are certainly not off the table!

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2025-06-16 12:02