With Shift Up’s Stellar Blade out in two weeks, a new behind-the-scenes video is available discussing the various processes behind development. Director Kim Hyung-tae reveals that its inspiration came from a taxi strike. With the job to be replaced by machines, he pondered what would happen if humanity were replaced.
The story sees the Naytiba, an unknown life form, invading Earth and causing humanity to evacuate to space. Airborne Squad member Eve works with characters Lily, an engineering expert, and Adam, who’s survived on Earth for years, to combat the Naytiba. When designing the characters, Shift Up focused on buying and scanning the clothes on a model to “create something of a higher quality and with more realistic visuals.”
Challenges arose due to the nature of console gaming in South Korea, where it’s almost non-existent compared to the more dominant mobile gaming. Though there was worry about the project doing well, the team became more ambitious as development progressed.
Hyung-Tae also talks about creating the Naytiba and emphasizing a feeling of discomfort with their design. Shift Up tapped monster designer Jang Hee-Cheol, who worked on Bong Joon-ho’s The Host, to share his know-how.
Stellar Blade launches on April 26th for PS5, but Episode 2 of this behind-the-series is coming soon, so stay tuned for more details.