Shift Up Rewards Stellar Blade Devs with PS5 Pros and $3,400 Bonuses

South Korean game developer and publisher Shift Up celebrated the success of its 2024 PlayStation 5 exclusive action-adventure game Stellar Blade by giving its entire 311-person staff a PS5 Pro and a bonus of 5 million won ($3,400).

This isn’t the first time Shift Up developers have received recognition from management, as CEO Hyung-Tae Kim has previously shown his appreciation for the team. In 2021, following the successful showcase of Stellar Blade’s prototype — then known as Project Eve — Kim gifted PlayStation 5 consoles to all 260 employees. The company’s commitment to its workforce stands in stark contrast to the widespread layoffs that have plagued the gaming industry over the past two years.

The announcement of staff rewards was made during the company’s New Year’s event, “Shift Up Rise Up,” on Jan. 7. In addition to the bonus news, Shift Up’s management highlighted its vision for the company’s future, including plans to release Stellar Blade on PC in 2025. CEO of shift Up expressed optimism about tapping into a broader audience, drawing parallels to the Steam success of titles like Black Myth: Wukong. 

Stellar Blade launched in April 2024 and sold over 1 million copies within its first two months despite being an exclusive of PS5. The title has since been bolstered by regular updates, including crossover DLC with Nier: Automata, holiday-themed content, and new gameplay modes.

The financial milestones achieved by Shift Up have been equally impressive. The studio raised 435 billion won (approximately $320 million) in its initial public offering in 2024, making the largest initial public offering (IPO) for a gaming company in South Korea since 2021. Revenue from Stellar Blade alone totaled 48.4 billion won ($34.6 million) by the end of September 2024, taking a stand as one of the studio’s key revenue drivers alongside its mobile title, Goddess of Victory: Nikke with $890.6 million in gross revenue since its launch in November 2022.