Stellar Blade Developer Nearly Ran Out of Money

Making a hit game is never easy, and Stellar Blade had a much harder road than most fans realize. In a recent interview with Korean outlet Inven, Shift Up CEO Hyung Tae Kim shared that the studio faced serious financial trouble during production. At one point, the team only had enough money left to pay employee salaries for three months.

Investors were very skeptical about the project at the time. Many doubted that an ambitious action roleplaying game of this scale would ever break even in the market. Despite the heavy financial pressure and worried backers, the team kept working hard to bring their vision to life.

Now that Stellar Blade is a massive success worldwide, those early struggles feel like a distant memory. The game proved the doubters wrong and established Shift Up as a major player in the gaming industry. Fans are certainly glad the studio survived the turbulent development cycle to deliver such a memorable adventure.