Shift Up's New Game "Project Spirits" Is Reportedly Taking Cues from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Shift Up, the Korean studio behind Stellar Blade, is reportedly developing a new gacha game called Project Spirits, and it has apparently gone through some major changes during development.

According to Dante Alexandru of Need4Games, the game originally started as a PvE hunting title before pivoting to a turn-based format inspired by the critically acclaimed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

That is quite a sharp turn, considering how different those two concepts are. Expedition 33 took the gaming world by storm with its fresh take on turn-based RPGs, and it looks like more studios are taking note of that success.

Interestingly, the game was not always called Project Spirits either. It was originally codenamed Project: Witches before the name changed.

As per the report, the development is happening almost entirely in China, through Shift Up's secondary studio, with minimal involvement from the main Korean team. The Korean side of Shift Up is currently focused on the sequel to Stellar Blade.

Alexandru notes that the Korean employees were "not that excited" about the gacha project when it was presented internally.

As for a release window, if development continues smoothly, a 2027 launch is reportedly on the table. Since it is being handled by a separate team, it should not interfere with progress on Stellar Blade 2, which carries a tentative release window sometime before 2027.

Stellar Blade launched in April 2024 as a PlayStation 5 exclusive and crossed one million sales within two months. When the PC version dropped in June 2025, it sold another million copies in just three days, topping Steam charts with an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating. The game has now surpassed three million sales across all platforms, making it one of the more impressive new IP launches in recent memory.

Shuhei Yoshida, the former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide, acknowledged the game's cultural impact, stating that Stellar Blade has boosted confidence among Korean developers, inspiring them to pursue ambitious console projects.

Shift Up's other major title, Goddess of Victory: Nikke, has also been performing exceptionally well. The gacha shooter crossed one billion dollars in revenue, powered in part by crossover events with major franchises.

The studio's growth has been reflected financially too. In 2024, Shift Up's IPO raised 435 billion won, roughly 320 million dollars, on its first day, marking the largest gaming stock listing in South Korea in nearly three years. Director Hyung-tae Kim was also honored with South Korea's Presidential Commendation for his contributions to the country's game industry.