Stellar Blade Developer Acquires Shinji Mikami's New Studio

Korean studio Shift Up, the developer of Stellar Blade, has announced its acquisition of the new game studio from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. Shift Up primarily focused on the development and publication of various gacha games, such as the popular action RPG Goddess of Victory: Nikke, prior to the release of Stellar Blade.

First announced in 2019 as Project Eve, Stellar Blade was released in 2024 as a PlayStation 5 exclusive before being ported to PC in 2025. The game received positive reviews, citing its strong combat and level design, with its intense boss battles serving as a highlight for players. Stellar Blade faced early criticism based on its character designs, with much of the discourse centered around the aesthetic of its main character, Eve. Despite this, critics quickly took note of the fact that the title stands on its own merits, with effective gameplay and an intriguing plot that has helped expand the game’s dedicated fan base. A sequel to Stellar Blade was confirmed to be in development in 2025.

Stellar Blade Studio Reveals First Look at its Next Game

Shift Up, the Korean studio behind Stellar Blade—one of 2024’s highly rated games, releases new details about its upcoming project.

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

Stellar Blade development studio Shift Up has announced its acquisition of Unbound, the newly founded Japanese studio founded by Shinji Mikami. The deal was officially confirmed via Shift Up’s official website, which published a blog post celebrating the completion of the deal. The post highlights the “world-class development talent” present at Unbound and affirms the studio’s focus on developing brand-new IPs for release on consoles and PC.

Mikami is most famous as the creator of the Resident Evil franchise, having directed the series’ debut title for Capcom in 1996. After the success of the original Resident Evil, Mikami was put in charge of the development team that would helm the next four mainline titles in the series, along with Resident Evil – Code: Veronica and Resident Evil Zero. Mikami would also be involved with games such as Dino Crisis, Devil May Cry, and God Hand before transferring to Capcom subsidiary Clover Studio. After Clover closed its doors, Mikami would move on to help found multiple independent game development studios, such as Platinum Games and Tango Gameworks, with both studios continuing to operate after his departure. While at Tango Gameworks, Mikami directed The Evil Within, a horror series seen as the spiritual successor to the Resident Evil franchise. Though his latest studio was founded in 2023, Mikami’s work with Unbound is still shrouded in mystery.

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After Stellar Blade‘s noteworthy commercial success, Shift Up is in a position to bolster the visibility of Unbound’s impending releases, empowering Mikami and his team to pursue creative ventures that best utilize their talents. Unbound also adds a number of industry veterans to Shift Up’s roster of developers, allowing the developer and publisher to continue to grow in the AAA gaming space. The partnership has the potential to help uplift both studios, with a clear level of mutual respect present in the collaboration’s announcement.

With Shift Up expressing its desire to go independent, moving away from its partnership with Sony, the acquisition of more development studios will help the budding publisher increase its foothold within an ever-evolving games industry. Mikami is well-versed in helping young studios define an identity, building upon his past strengths while also venturing forth into new genres and opportunities. The future of this collaboration may lead both companies to even greater success.