Stellar Blade: Blood Rain developer Shift Up has angered fans after releasing an AI-generated music video promoting the forthcoming action game. After seeing plenty of success following its 2024 debut, Stellar Blade has rapidly become one of Shift Up’s most recognizable franchises.
The upcoming Stellar Blade: Blood Rain was formally revealed during Summer Game Fest 2026, introducing Evie, a new protagonist distinct from the original game’s Eve. From the reveal trailer, Blood Rain appears to retain the franchise’s sci-fi action and dystopian settings while expanding into a more densely populated city inspired by Asian metropolitan aesthetics. The game currently has no confirmed release date, nor has Shift Up publicly finalized its platforms. Shift Up’s latest promotional music video is among the first significant pieces of advertising for Blood Rain released since its announcement.
Stellar Blade: Blood Rain Developer Faces Backlash Over AI Video
The official video, titled “Wanna be in LOVE” Feat. Evie, is a roughly three-and-a-half-minute K-pop-style production centered on Evie singing and dancing in a city resembling the environment revealed in Stellar Blade: Blood Rain. It later transitions into artificial behind-the-scenes footage featuring Shift Up’s production crew directing Evie, applying her makeup, and interacting with her on set. The video’s ending disclosure states that resources from Stellar Blade: Blood Rain were generated with AI support, while YouTube warns that some sounds or visuals were altered or fully generated. Shift Up has not provided details on which individual elements were produced using AI, but almost everyone unanimously agrees that the Evie model is not real.
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Rather than increasing excitement for the game, however, Shift Up’s unusual promotional material for Stellar Blade: Blood Rain has drawn widespread criticism for its use of generative AI. This also isn’t the first time Stellar Blade has generated some controversy. The first comment underneath the video is one user simply responding, “Are we deadass?” with over 4,000 likes at the time of this writing. Other fans have accused Shift Up of releasing “AI slop” and questioned why a studio known for its detailed character designs would use generative technology in its marketing, thereby undermining the work of human artists and programmers. Of course, not every response was negative, as a smaller group of viewers have found the video amusing or enjoyed the song despite the controversy.
Fan backlash over “Wanna be in LOVE” has also renewed questions about how extensively Shift Up plans to use AI in the future. CEO and Stellar Blade director Hyung-tae Kim previously described generative AI as an essential tool to help smaller studios compete with much larger development teams across China and the United States. The studio head argued that AI increases productivity at a lower cost without necessarily eliminating jobs. That sentiment has been a recurring source of tension in the industry, pitting studios that view AI as a productivity tool against players who worry about creative quality, artist displacement, and originality. However, fans should note that there is currently no confirmed evidence that Stellar Blade: Blood Rain itself will include AI-generated characters, dialogue, music, cinematics, or artwork.
As a promotional experiment, Shift Up’s new AI-generated music video has ultimately shifted attention away from Stellar Blade: Blood Rain‘s new protagonist and world and toward concerns about how the sequel is being created. While a single music video does not determine the quality of the final game, especially when development is ongoing, promotional material often shapes fan expectations early on. Shift Up has yet to transparently address whether generative AI will play any role in the finished product, and it is unknown whether the studio will ever publicly say so. Until then, fans are likely to examine future Stellar Blade: Blood Rain trailers and artwork much more closely for additional signs of AI involvement.
- Released
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April 26, 2024
- ESRB
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M for Mature
- Developer(s)
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Shift Up
- Publisher(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment
