Stellar Blade Breaks Sales Records and Sets the Stage for a Deeper Story
With over 3 million copies sold worldwide, Stellar Blade has cemented its place as a major hit in the gaming community. The game’s success has led to the official confirmation of a sequel, which promises to deliver a more serious and immersive storyline, according to its developers.
Insights from the Creative Team on the Original Game’s Narrative
In an exclusive interview with This Is Game, via Genki, director Hyung-tae Kim revealed that the original team had crafted a more intricate story for characters like Eve. However, due to budget constraints, especially related to cutscene production, many cinematic elements had to be cut. This decision resulted in a less detailed narrative, leaving players with lingering questions about Eve’s background and her frequent costume changes.
Kim explained that while there was an intention to include additional cutscenes to clarify the story, concerns about disrupting the players’ current understanding prevented those additions. This means that fans can expect a more comprehensive narrative in the upcoming sequel, with the developers aiming to address the story gaps left by the first game.
Development Focus and Future Release Plans
Although fans are eager for a quick follow-up, the current priority for the development team is the PC port of Stellar Blade. Kim noted that Shift Up is committed to delivering the PC version by 2027, focusing all resources on this project for now. The PC release officially launched on June 11 and has already become Sony’s most successful single-player game on Steam, with peak concurrent players exceeding 192,000.
To put this into perspective, other popular Sony titles such as Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered peaked at 77,154, 73,529, and 66,436 players respectively. Notably, the only Sony game to surpass Stellar Blade’s concurrent player record is Helldivers 2, which is a multiplayer-focused game.
Critical Reception and PC Enhancements
Despite its commercial success, IGN rated Stellar Blade 7 out of 10, praising its core action mechanics but criticizing character development, storyline, and some RPG elements as underwhelming. The PC version offers several enhancements, including AI upscaling with Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD FSR 3, an unlocked framerate, Japanese and Chinese voiceovers, ultrawide display support, higher resolution textures, and DualSense controller features like haptic feedback and trigger effects.
About the Author
Vikki Blake is a seasoned journalist, critic, columnist, and consultant with over 15 years of experience working with leading gaming publications and websites. She is a dedicated fan of franchises like Guardian, Silent Hill, and Legend. You can follow her work on BlueSky.
Emma Blake
Emma is a tech-savvy news editor who thrives on staying ahead of the curve. With a background in digital journalism and media studies, she brings readers up-to-the-minute updates on gaming, tech, and entertainment trends. Emma’s writing is sharp, insightful, and always backed by credible sources. Her mission is to keep the community informed and curious about the fast-changing digital world.
