Shift Up says in its Q1 2026 financial results that it plans to reveal details about Stellar Blade and Project Spirits this year.
To remind you, Shift Up acquired Shinji Mikami’s Unbound and would serve as the publisher on the developer’s next project. The project is set to reveal details later this year.
“We intend to self-publish (first-party service) both the next [Stellar Blade] title and Unbound’s titles. To support this, we are continuously bringing on board global talent with experience in launching and operating major titles worldwide. The opportunity to directly publish the next [Stellar Blade] and Unbound titles on a global scale is proving to be a compelling draw for top industry professionals, enabling us to rapidly strengthen our in-house publishing capabilities,” Shift Up says.
“Development of the next [Stellar Blade] title is progressing smoothly, on track to meet our targeted quality standards,” Shift Up said.
“Notably, starting with this next title, Shift Up will transition to a first-party service model. This will allow us to lead marketing strategies that fully reflect the distinctive identity of the Stellar Blade intellectual property, and we expect to communicate the unique appeal of its universe to players more directly and effectively. Building on the strong fandom and evergreen intellectual property status established by the first Stellar Blade, we are formulating an optimal go-to-market strategy designed to maximize sales and reach a broad global audience from day one.”
Unbound and Shift Up share strong alignment in their direction, and joining forces felt like a “natural” decision. The two studios are already collaborating in multiple areas, including worldbuilding.
“With three key tailwinds—high-quality self-publishing capabilities, a sales maximization strategy, and a proven intellectual property fanbase—we are confident the next title will deliver meaningfully improved results compared to its predecessor.”
In our review of Stellar Blade, we said, “ Shift Up makes a solid case for being a stand-out console game studio. Who would have imagined a mobile gacha game developer from a country still very much only known for MMOBAs and mobile titles could provide such an incredible first attempt at something larger? Unfortunately, Stellar Blade’s appeal has seemed one-dimensional so far, and its heroine will turn many would-be players off. However, if you get past that, there’s a genuinely spectacular game here.”
