Support NeoGAF

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Stellar Blade studio Shift Up, which has focused primarily on development since becoming a publicly traded company in 2024, is taking steps towards strengthening its capabilities as a global, multiplatform publisher, according to South Korean outlet GameMeca.

The company has recently opened recruitment for several positions related to localization, marketing and PR, with the job listings stating "Shift Up is preparing for a new leap forward in the global market, beyond the worldwide success of Goddess of Victory: NIKKE and Stellar Blade. We aim to expand our self-publishing capabilities to support internally developed titles across consoles and PC." A Shift Up representative told Game Meca that this move is meant to boost Shift Up's means of supporting in-house titles for the long-term, in line with the studio's recent global growth.

While Shift Up has previously self-published titles like Destiny Child (which ended services in September 2023), CEO Tae-hyung Kim suggested that the company would remain primarily focused on development after its listing, with self-publishing remaining a potential option for the long term. However, it seems the company is now taking definitive steps towards publishing its own games.

Shift Up's upcoming Project Spirits (previously Project Witches) will be published globally by Tencent label Level Infinite (as confirmed in November last year), it's possible the company plans to self-publish some of its other future releases. Shift Up is currently developing a sequel to Stellar Blade, for which a publisher has not yet been announced.

Stellar Blade developer Shift Up looking to strengthen its self-publishing capabilities - AUTOMATON WEST

Stellar Blade studio Shift Up is expanding its capabilities as a global, multiplatform publisher amidst recent growth.

automaton-media.com

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

And on the same Shift‑Up topic, they also published their financials for last year a couple of weeks ago. Here's the revenue split for their 2 popular titles for 2025:

 

[Tobimacoss]

Good, just like Pearl Abyss with Crimson Desert.

 

[pudel]

 

[Loomy]

And on the same Shift‑Up topic, they also published their financials for last year a couple of weeks ago. Here's the revenue split for their 2 popular titles for 2025:

Splitting those with Sony and Tencent must not be sitting well with them. Good for them though. If they can do it, why not?

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

For anyone curious, they've uploaded the IR presentation for Q4 2025 here last Wednesday:
https://shiftup.co.kr/eng/ir/irdata.php?ptype=view&idx=346&page=1&code=irdata_eng

There's a fair bit of interesting data, trends, and insights in there.

 

[Fake]

Yes, please.

 

[Hudo]

Stellar Blade Xtreme Beach Volleyball.

Just do it.

 

[KanKamAndNob]

Good. The less they have to worry about censoring their games, the better. Sony already had them censor that stupid "hard R" grafitti, so hopefully if they self-publish, they don't have to slowly but surely censor more and more of their games. Love to see it.

 

[Gambit2483]

Go multiplatform (i.e. put their games on Switch 2) + Self publish = Much more

They see what Capcom, Konami and SEGA are doing and want that kind of money.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Excellent news. Get far away from Hulst-Sony.

 

[Saber]

Pretty good for them. No need to depend on a single company, specially one from the likes of disgusting Hermen.

 

[semiconscious]

elden ring, stellar blade, resident evil - none of my favorite games this gen have come from the west...

 

[The Mad Draklor]

Stellar Blade Xtreme Beach Volleyball.

Just do it.

They got the waifus from both Stellar Blade and NIKKE to actually pull it off.

 

[diemza]

 

[Aenima]

And on the same Shift‑Up topic, they also published their financials for last year a couple of weeks ago. Here's the revenue split for their 2 popular titles for 2025:

Thats kinda surprizing that Stellar Blade is not too far from Nikke revenue. Nikke makes alot of money. Was expecting something like 80-20 or 70-30

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Thats kinda surprizing that Stellar Blade is not too far from Nikke revenue. Nikke makes alot of money. Was expecting something like 80-20 or 70-30

Hmm, they did launch the Steam version last summer, and it sold really well there at full price. Plus, it kept good legs (heh) on both PC and PS5 afterward so I'm personally not entirely surprised by the split I shared there.

 

[Felessan]

Thats kinda surprizing that Stellar Blade is not too far from Nikke revenue. Nikke makes alot of money. Was expecting something like 80-20 or 70-30

NIKKE actually quite small, it only nets 120mio USD per year for ShiftUP. Seems like apple/google share and publisher share eat a lot from raw revenue. A reason why quite some like to self-publish and avoid steam and only go with Epic and own launcher.
NIKKE also more stable - it earns 30 mio per quarter, while SB earned 40mio on PC launch quarter and then sales subside, last quarter it was 75-25 split

 

[adventurer_unknown]

Good on them. I love Stellar Blade and what little I've played of NIKKE. We need games to be sexy again.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

For anyone curious, they've uploaded the IR presentation for Q4 2025 here last Wednesday:
https://shiftup.co.kr/eng/ir/irdata.php?ptype=view&idx=346&page=1&code=irdata_eng

There's a fair bit of interesting data, trends, and insights in there.

Any plot?

 

[KanKamAndNob]

Good on them. I love Stellar Blade and what little I've played of NIKKE. We need games to be sexy again.

So fucking sick of Western "female" mutants.