Shift Up’sStellar Bladeis by far one of the most surprising gaming success stories in recent memory. After battling plenty of controversy over its character models ahead of its release and even now,Stellar Bladeinitially seemed like it would have a very hard time sticking the landing. Thankfully, it proved to be much more than that, with vast open-world zones to explore and satisfyingly challenging gameplay, despite a lackluster narrative. Now, even without being a live-service game,Stellar Bladeis set to receive several updates throughout 2024 after Shift Up reported estimated sales surpassing one million copies.
During an IPO press conference on June 25, Shift Up announced its plans forStellar Bladeduring the remainder of 2024 and beyond. The developer not only reported thatStellar Bladehas sold over one million copies but also that it has achieved universal acclaim on Metacritic with a user rating of 9.2, one of the highest for a PlayStation 5 game so far. In light of that, the developer has refused to quit withStellar Blade, even after adding a Boss Challenge mode to the game and several new outfits for EVE. Included inStellar Blade’s 2024 roadmapare a few fan-requested features, as well as a collaboration that Shift Up has yet to be transparent about.
Everything Currently Coming to Stellar Blade in 2024
Stellar Blade Will Finally Receive a Photo Mode Around August
WhenStellar Bladefirst launched at the end of April 2024, the lack of a photo mode was perplexing. A game that seemed to focus so much on its visuals and yet lacked a proper photo mode just didn’t make sense. Of course, Shift Up assured fans that it would add a photo mode toStellar Bladeif fans requested it enough, and it turns out the developer is going to make good on that promise. “Around August,“Stellar Bladewill finally receive a photo mode, so players can take customized screenshots of their favorite moments in the game.
Even More Outfits Will Be Added to Stellar Blade After October
Ahead of its release,Stellar Blade’s outfitswere one of its most prominent features, and that remained true even after the game’s launch. There are dozens of outfits for EVE and her friends to wear inStellar Blade, and more have been added since. Shift Up isn’t going to stop there, however, as it plans to add even more character skins to the game “after October.” Whether that means in October after it begins or sometime in November or December, at least there is confirmation that more outfits are on the way.
Stellar Blade Will Feature a Large-Scale Collaboration at the End of 2024
The most cryptic mention in the IPO press conference is a “large-scale collaboration” thatStellar Bladewill be participating in at the end of the year. As of now, Shift Up has not been clear as to who or what this collaboration will be with, but some have speculated it will be withNieR: Automata, consideringStellar Blade’s similarities toNieR: Automataand the good rapport shared between Shift Up and PlatinumGames. However, Shift Up has already announced a collaboration with its other game,Goddess of Victory: Nikke, which has yet to happen. It’s possibleStellar Blade’s collab withNikkecould very well be the “large-scale collaboration” Shift Up was referring to during the press conference.
Shift Up also confirmed “additional DLC” and “sequels” forStellar Bladecoming after 2024 during the IPO press conference. The additional DLC it mentioned could simply be more cosmetic outfits, but aStellar BladeDLC featuring Lilywould be an excellent addition to the base game. Furthermore, the fact that Shift Up said “sequels” implies it is already cooking up plans for multiple subsequent installments for what will become theStellar Bladefranchise.
Stellar Blade
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RECLAIM EARTH FOR HUMANKIND The future of humanity hangs in the balance in Stellar Blade, an all-new story-driven action adventure. Ravaged by strange, powerful creatures, Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of the decimated human race has fled to a Colony in outer space. After travelling from the Colony, 7th Airborne Squad member EVE arrives on the desolate remains of our planet with a clear-cut mission: to save humankind by reclaiming Earth from the Naytiba – the malevolent force that has devastated it. But as EVE tackles the Naytiba one-by-one, piecing together the mysteries of the past in the ruins of human civilization, she realizes that her mission is far from straightforward. In fact, almost nothing is as it seems…
