Stellar Blade Developer Acquires Shinji Mikami’s New Studio

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Shift Up, the Korean game studio behind Stellar Blade, has acquired a new studio founded by Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil. Before Stellar Blade, Shift Up was known for developing and publishing gacha games, including the popular action RPG Goddess of Victory: Nikke.

Originally revealed in 2019 as Project Eve, Stellar Blade launched in 2024 as a game only available on PlayStation 5, and later came to PC in 2025. Reviewers generally praised the game’s exciting combat and well-designed levels, particularly its challenging boss fights. While the game’s character designs initially drew some criticism, focusing on the appearance of the protagonist, Eve, many critics acknowledged that Stellar Blade is a strong game in its own right. Its engaging gameplay and interesting story have helped it gain a loyal following. A sequel was confirmed to be in development in 2025.

Stellar Blade Developer Shift Up Acquires Shinji Mikami’s New Studio

Shift Up, the studio behind Stellar Blade, has purchased Unbound, a Japanese studio recently created by Shinji Mikami. The acquisition was announced on Shift Up’s website, where they praised Unbound’s talented team and stated that the studio will continue to create original games for consoles and PC.

Shinji Mikami is best known as the creator of the Resident Evil series, which he launched with the first game for Capcom in 1996. Following the original’s success, he led the development of the next four main Resident Evil titles, as well as Resident Evil – Code: Veronica and Resident Evil Zero. He also worked on games like Dino Crisis, Devil May Cry, and God Hand before moving to Clover Studio, a subsidiary of Capcom. After Clover Studio closed, Mikami helped establish several independent game development studios, including Platinum Games and Tango Gameworks, both of which continue to thrive. At Tango Gameworks, he directed The Evil Within, a horror series often considered a spiritual successor to Resident Evil. Mikami founded another studio in 2023, but his current work with Unbound remains largely unknown.

Following the strong sales of Stellar Blade, Shift Up can now better promote the upcoming games from Unbound, and give Mikami and his team the freedom to focus on projects that showcase their skills. The addition of experienced developers from Unbound will also help Shift Up expand as a major player in the AAA gaming industry. This partnership seems beneficial for both studios, and the announcement highlighted a positive, respectful working relationship.

Now that Shift Up wants to operate on its own, ending its partnership with Sony, expanding by acquiring other development studios will help the new publisher establish itself in the fast-changing gaming world. Mikami has a proven track record of guiding young studios to find their unique voice, building on existing skills while also exploring new possibilities. This collaboration has the potential to bring even more success to both companies.

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2026-04-01 19:05