Stellar Blade Director Receives Presidential Commendation for Development of Korean Game Industry

The CEO of Stellar Blade studio Shift Up has received the Presidential Commendation at this year’s Korean Content Awards for his work in the games industry.

According to Daum, and reported by Automaton, Hyung-tae Kim accepted the award, which is reportedly “the most prestigious content awards ceremony in Korea” and hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Kim was recognized for his contribution to the Korean games industry with the games Goddess of Victory: Nikke and Stellar Blade.

“This Presidential Citation is thanks to the developers and fans who believed in and supported Shift Up,” Kim said. “We will continue to do our best to further promote the competitiveness of Korean games on the global stage.”

Stellar Blade launched in April 2024 exclusively on PlayStation 5. After selling more than 1 million copies in two months, Stellar Blade was seen as highlighting the potential for Korean-made triple-A console games. In July last year, Shift Up raised 435 billion won (approx. $320 million) in its first day of trade after an initial public offering. According to Bloomberg, that was the largest in the country for a gaming company since 2021, when PUBG maker Krafton Inc. raised $3.8 billion from its own IPO. 2024 went so well for the company that it gifted all its staff a PlayStation 5 Pro as well as a cash bonus of 5 million won (around. $3,400) last Christmas.

Meanwhile, Stellar Blade did wonderfully well on PC, where it launched in June this year. According to the developer’s recent presentation to investors, Stellar Blade’s PC release sold more than 1 million copies in three days, and has been recommended by 98% of its PC users, boasting an “overwhelmingly positive” user score on Steam.

That means, Shift Up claimed, that Stellar Blade is now the “best-selling PlayStation-exclusive launch IP in history” on PC, eclipsing games like Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us in terms of peak concurrent users on Steam. Helldivers 2, of course, remains in pole position across both single and multiplayer games, and by some considerable margin, too, estimated to have sold 12.7 million copies.

Stellar Blade is now up to 3 million copies sold across all platforms. Don’t forget that a sequel, Stellar Blade 2, is also on the way. Shift Up is also working on Project Spirits, to be published by Level Infinite.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.