During its recent earnings report, Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has revealed that the sequel to the hack-and-slash action game won’t be published by Sony. Rather, the studio has said that it will handle the publishing duties itself, noting that the “unique appeal” of Stellar Blade can be communicated “more directly and effectively.”
While far from an official confirmation, the fact that Sony isn’t publishing Stellar Blade 2 could indicate that Shift Up is aiming for a wider launch for the sequel, rather than staying exclusive to PlayStation. Stellar Blade was originally released exclusively on PS5 before it eventually made its way to PC.
The studio has noted that it has been “actively exploring further platform expansion” for the original Stellar Blade, which falls in line with rumors from last year that the studio had been developing a Nintendo Switch 2 port of the title.
“Development of the next Stellar Blade title is progressing smoothly, on track to meet our targeted quality standards,” said the studio about the sequel. “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 IP, and we expect to communicate the unique appeal of its universe to players more directly and effectively.”
“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 had confirmed that it had been working on a sequel to Stellar Blade all the way back in May 2025. During its earnings report at the time, the studio confirmed that the sequel is planned for release before 2027.
As for the Nintendo Switch 2 port, no details have been revealed, and even Shift Up hasn’t yet officially confirmed anything about it.
Last year’s report came courtesy of indications that the studio had gotten its hands on a development kit for Nintendo’s console. At the time, this kit included APIs, software to test games, and debugging tools for optimization work. Owing to the Switch 2’s lack of horsepower when compared to PS5 or modern PCs, the port is expected to feature toned-down visual fidelity so that it can run at smooth frame rates. Shift Up might also end up making thorough use of the console’s DLSS technology.
“There is nothing confirmed yet regarding the development of the Switch 2 version of the Stellar Blade,” said the studio at the time. “We are reviewing various possibilities internally.”
Stellar Blade has been quite successful for Shift Up. Back in February 2025, the studio had confirmed that the game had generated ₩219.8 billion in revenue, translating to roughly $151.4 million. This marked an approximately 30 percent year-on-year increase in revenues for Shift Up.
For more details on Stellar Blade, take a look at our review of its original PS5 launch version, which we gave a score of 8 out of 10 thanks to its setting, story, and enemy variety, among other things. Our major complaints largely revolved around generic side quests, spotty writing, and sluggish traversal.
