Shift Up, the developer behind the upcoming action adventure title, Stellar Blade, has advocated for the need to have more single-player games with defined endings in the game industry.
Despite the recent industry-wide sentiment regarding single-player games not being as lucrative an investment as live service titles, Stellar Blade director Kim Hyung-tae remains committed to making them. During a recent interview, he was asked whether the studio will continue to challenge the console space with its future games.
In this response, Kim stated that success in console gaming has become increasingly crucial due to rising development costs in recent years. He mentioned receiving advice about developing games with higher profit margins. However, he believes that diversity is essential in the game industry. Therefore, single-player games that end, like several console titles, have significant intrinsic value.
Continuing to challenge the console space via single-player titles is something that developer Shift Up intends to continue doing after the release of Stellar Blade. Kim mentioned that the studio remains committed to working on games with a finite duration that allow players to enjoy the journey through to its end.
In response to a question regarding the involvement of Sony Interactive Entertainment in the completion and launch of Stellar Blade, Technical Director Lee Dong-gi mentioned that the development team collaborated closely with PlayStation in various aspects. The console maker took charge of localization work, and the Sony User Research team provided significant assistance in QA and testing. Thanks to Sony, Shift Up was able to focus solely on completing the game.
Meanwhile, Kim is impressed by Sony’s emphasis on understanding the game during PR and marketing. Relevant personnel visited the studio, spent a considerable amount of time understanding the game, and had a series of discussions with the development team. With a consensus built around what Stella Blade aims for and its strengths and weaknesses, Sony has been able to more effectively handle PR and marketing.
