“I find it deeply meaningful to join forces with Unbound, which brings together a world-class development team led by CEO Shinji Mikami,” said Shift Up CEO Hyung-Tae Kim in a statement. “This acquisition will serve as an opportunity to deliver the best gaming experience to users worldwide and further solidify Shift Up’s global development competitiveness.”

In his own statement, Mikami emphasized that the partnership with Shift Up enables his team to dedicate more effort to creative aspects of game development.

“I am very pleased to be partnering with Shift Up CEO Hyung-Tae Kim and all the employees,” said Mikami. “I sense strong synergy with CEO Kim, who is also an active creator, and I believe this is an ideal partnership that allows us to focus on creativity. We will do our best to create fun games so that both companies, working as one, can meet our fans’ expectations.”

In its announcement, Shift Up has also noted that this acquisition of Unbound has bolstered its own game development pipeline for PC and consoles. This acquisition also means that, going forward, Shift Up will serve as the publisher for all of Unbound’s upcoming games.

Accompanying the press release announcing the acquisition is a video featuring Mikami and Kim, where the two discuss what this partnership means for both companies in the long term. The video also features many developers from Unbound discussing the level of freedom available to them under Mikami’s leadership.

The announcement comes just weeks after a report indicated that Mikami had been secretly working on a new major project at Unbound. Former Tango Gameworks producer Masato Kimura had spoken about working alongside Mikami in the past and hinted at working with him currently as well.

The official website for Unbound at the time also featured a strange message, and although it didn’t mention Mikami, it offered a cryptic message that could be related to his project.

“He creates it in his own unique environment,” it reads. “It has always been that way. He lives surrounded by what he loves. Nothing can bend him. People around me say I’m a bit strange, but I’ve gotten used to it. A world of his own? No, it’s a world that is not bound by anything.”

“If asked to list five characteristics, he would probably say, ‘Numbers are interesting, because constraints are like a game.’ There’s probably no particular problem, he’ll be fine.”

In the meantime, Shift Up has also confirmed that it is working on a sequel to Stellar Blade. The confirmation came from a presentation last year, in which the studio also stated that it was targeting a 2026 launch window for the game.

Helldivers 2 remained second, with dollar sales down by 70 percent compared to March. However, it’s still the best-selling premium-title of 2024 to date. Rare’s Sea of Thieves also performed well following its launch on PlayStation 5. Though it ranked 55th for March, it became the fourth-best selling title for April and ranked third in the PlayStation sales chart.

This follows its successful launch for Premium Edition owners, with the live-service action-adventure title becoming the second-best selling title in the United States as of April 27th, per Circana. Head here for our thoughts on the title.

April 2024 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content) pic.twitter.com/fTWBm2ACXT

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 29, 2024

Stellar Blade debuted as the best-selling premium game of April, and the #16 best-selling game of 2024 year-to-date. Stellar Blade was the only new release in April to rank among the month’s top 20 best-selling premium video games.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 29, 2024

Helldivers II remains the best-selling premium game of 2024 year-to-date after placing 2nd in April, repeating its March ranking. Helldivers II held to its #2 ranking despite April dollar sales falling by more than 70% when compared to March.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 29, 2024

Sea of Thieves was the 4th best-selling game of April, following its launch on PlayStation platforms during the month. The title ranked 55th on the March best-selling titles chart. Sea of Thieves was the #3 best-selling game on PlayStation platforms in April.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) May 29, 2024

However, it’s also working on a new project based on new IP. Codenamed Project Witches, it’s planned to be released in 2027 or later worldwide. Interestingly, it will feature cross-play. “We believe that our ability to develop new [intellectual properties] that can be successful without relying on existing [intellectual properties] will enable us to grow sustainably compared to other game companies that are locked into existing [intellectual properties].”

It’s unknown if this is the same title it was recruiting for earlier in April. The job listings indicated it to be a triple-A action RPG with an urban sci-fi setting where players would battle all kinds of monsters. Developed on Unreal Engine, it’s a multiplatform title that will arrive on PC, consoles and mobile platforms.

Of course, we’ll need to wait for more details since Project Witches is in early development. If Sony is satisfied with Stellar Blade’s performance, it could tie up with the developer again.