Shift Up Says It Will Self-Publish Stellar Blade 2 to Reach Broad Audience From Day One

Stellar Blade 2 is currently in development at Shift Up and it may be revealed this year. Unlike its predecessor, however, the sequel may not be a PS5 exclusive when it launches. Shift Up has said that it intends to self-publish the Stellar Blade sequel to “maximize sales and reach a broad global audience from day one.” Stellar Blade was published by Sony and launched exclusively on PS5 in 2024.

Shift Up to Self-Publish Stellar Blade 2

In its first-quarter FY2026 financial report, the South Korean developer said it was planning for the next Stellar Blade and Unbound titles to be first-party services, meaning the studio would self-publish the games going forward. Unbound Games is Shinji Mikami's new studio, which was acquired by Shift Up in April.

“Notably, starting with this next title, Shift Up will transition to a first-party service model,” the studio said in its earnings call. “This will allow us to lead marketing strategies that fully reflect the distinctive identity of the Stellar Blade IP, and we expect to communicate the unique appeal of its universe to players more directly and effectively.

“Building on the strong fandom and evergreen IP 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.

“With three key tailwinds — high-quality self-publishing capabilities, a sales maximization strategy, and a proven IP fanbase — we are confident the next title will deliver meaningfully improved results compared to its predecessor.”

Shift Up self-publishing Stellar Blade 2 means the game will likely launch across all platforms simultaneously. The game could be released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. Stellar Blade, which was published by Sony, arrived exclusively on PS5 in 2024, before being ported to PC last year. The game is yet to be released on Xbox.

Additionally, Shift Up said that development on the next Stellar Blade title was “progressing smoothly” and was on track to meet the company's targeted quality standards. The studio did not reveal any details about the upcoming game, including its official title.

Shift Up also said that details about the next Stellar Blade and its Project Spirits title will be revealed “within the year”.

It does, however, seem that Stellar Blade 2 is delayed from its original launch timeline. Last year, during an investor presentation outlining the studio's financial performance in the first quarter of 2025, Shift Up confirmed that a sequel to Stellar Blade was in development. The company projected at the time that the game would be launched before 2027. That seems unlikely, unless Stellar Blade 2 is announced and released before the end of the year.