SHIFT Up has shared new details about the future of the Stellar Blade franchise, confirming that development on the sequel is “progressing smoothly” while also revealing plans to self-publish the next entry.
The information comes from the company’s Q1 2026 earnings report, which places significant emphasis on Stellar Blade as one of SHIFT Up’s primary long-term growth pillars alongside its ongoing success with Goddess of Victory: NIKKE.
According to the report, SHIFT Up generated 47.3 billion KRW in revenue during the quarter, alongside 21.5 billion KRW in operating profit and 37.8 billion KRW in net profit. While overall revenue increased 12% year-over-year, the company noted a quarter-over-quarter decline following a stronger previous quarter driven by Stellar Blade sales momentum.
Stellar Blade itself generated 12.9 billion KRW during Q1 2026, representing an 84% increase year-over-year. SHIFT Up attributed the continued performance to PC promotions, PlayStation Store discounts, and strong user reception on Steam, where the game currently maintains an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating.
The company described Stellar Blade as having achieved “steady-seller IP status,” signaling that SHIFT Up now views the franchise as a long-term evergreen property rather than a single-release success.
The biggest announcement from the report centers on the sequel itself. During a Q&A section, SHIFT Up confirmed that development is currently “progressing smoothly” and remains on track to meet the studio’s internal quality standards.
SHIFT Up also revealed that the next Stellar Blade will use a “first-party service model,” meaning the company plans to self-publish the sequel instead of relying on an external publishing partner as it did with the original game.
According to the report, SHIFT Up believes direct control over publishing, marketing, and global distribution will allow the studio to better communicate the identity of the Stellar Blade universe while maximizing worldwide sales potential.
The company stated that the sequel is expected to achieve “meaningfully improved results” compared to the first game due to three factors: stronger self-publishing capabilities, a more effective sales strategy, and an already established global fanbase.
SHIFT Up additionally confirmed that more details on the next Stellar Blade and its other upcoming project, Project Spirits, will be revealed later this year as part of what it describes as an accelerating “new title cycle.”
The report also highlighted plans for continued collaborations, promotions, and possible platform expansion to maintain momentum for the franchise before the sequel launches.
SHIFT Up further tied its future publishing ambitions to its partnership with UNBOUND, which the company says is helping expand its PC and console development infrastructure. The deal reportedly added around 60 developers with experience working on globally recognized IPs.
Although NIKKE still accounts for the majority of SHIFT Up’s revenue at 69.1% for the quarter, compared to Stellar Blade’s 27.3%, the company’s latest financial materials strongly suggest Stellar Blade is being positioned as its flagship premium console franchise moving forward.
