{"id":66482,"date":"2026-05-12T13:41:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T04:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=66482"},"modified":"2026-05-12T13:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T04:41:31","slug":"shift-up-plans-to-self-publish-stellar-blade-sequel-and-shinji-mikami-titles-update-on-mysterious-new-flagship-ip-due-within-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/shift-up-plans-to-self-publish-stellar-blade-sequel-and-shinji-mikami-titles-update-on-mysterious-new-flagship-ip-due-within-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Shift Up plans to self-publish Stellar Blade sequel and Shinji Mikami\u00a0titles. Update on mysterious new\u00a0\u201cflagship\u00a0IP\u201d\u00a0due within 2026\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Shift Up<\/strong>\u00a0revealed several details about its upcoming titles in its\u00a0Q1 earnings report for the current fiscal year<\/a>. While\u00a0existing\u00a0titles such as\u00a0Goddess of Victory: NIKKE<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Stellar Blade<\/a>\u00a0are performing well and\u00a0will continue to be supported through\u00a0new content\u00a0and\u00a0physical\u00a0merchandise\u00a0(for\u00a0NIKKE), as well as\u00a0seasonal discounts (for Stellar Blade), the South Korean\u00a0developer and publisher\u00a0has already made\u00a0plans for\u00a0the\u00a0future.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Stellar Blade sequel marks the beginning of Shift Up\u2019s first-party service model <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the first game, which was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the Stellar Blade sequel will be fully self-published by Shift Up. This will give the studio more creative freedom over the IP, particularly when it comes to leading marketing strategies that \u201ccommunicate the unique appeal of Stellar Blade\u2019s universe<\/a> to players more directly and effectively.\u201d Using the first game\u2019s success as a springboard, Shift Up is planning an optimal market strategy that is designed to \u201cmaximize sales and reach a broad global audience from day one,\u201d suggesting early multiplatform support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earnings report also says that development of the sequel is \u201cprogressing smoothly\u201d and is on track to meet the studio\u2019s quality standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unbound-developed titles will also be self-published by Shift Up, which acquired the company in March <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like the Stellar Blade sequel, games under the Shinji Mikami-led studio Unbound will also be self-published by Shift Up. Unbound has been working closely with Shift Up on several titles<\/a>, many of which are expected to be released in a sequential manner. More news about the Unbound-developed games will be released over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Shift Up is self-publishing more titles, the studio announced that it is constantly hiring more people with experience in launching and operating major worldwide games. There doesn\u2019t seem to be any shortage of aspiring candidates either, as getting the opportunity to publish the next Stellar Blade and first Unbound titles has allowed the studio to \u201crapidly strengthen its in-house publishing capabilities<\/a>\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Project<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Project Spirits\u2019 development is going smoothly <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just as mysterious as\u00a0Unbound\u2019s\u00a0games\u00a0is Shift Up\u2019s own working title and next new flagship IP,\u00a0codenamed \u201cProject Spirits.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0While there is little to no information other than it is an\u00a0Eastern fantasy-inspired\u00a0game targeting niche, otaku audiences directed by Daehoon Han (credited in Hike Games\u2019 Metallic Child and Smashing The Battle), Shift Up\u00a0says that the game\u2019s development is \u201cprogressing well.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shift Up\u00a0plans to share more details about the title in 2026, with no visible changes to the planned PC and mobile release\u00a0in\u00a02027.\u00a0This title will be co-published<\/a> alongside NIKKE\u2019s global publisher, Level Infinite.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shift Up\u00a0revealed several details about its upcoming titles in its\u00a0Q1 earnings report for the current fiscal year. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":66484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[18],"class_list":["post-66482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-global-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nShift Up plans to self-publish Stellar Blade sequel and Shinji Mikami\u00a0titles. Update on mysterious new\u00a0\u201cflagship\u00a0IP\u201d\u00a0due within 2026\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shift Up\u00a0has revealed several details about its release pipeline in its\u00a0Q1 earnings report for the current fiscal year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/shift-up-plans-to-self-publish-stellar-blade-sequel-and-shinji-mikami-titles-update-on-mysterious-new-flagship-ip-due-within-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shift Up plans to self-publish Stellar Blade sequel and Shinji Mikami\u00a0titles. 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