Shuhei Yoshida Praises Stellar Blade for Boosting Confidence Among Korean Developers
- Sagar Mankar
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Shuhei Yoshida believes Stellar Blade’s success has boosted the confidence of Korean developers and could inspire many more to pursue ambitious console projects.
On November 6, Yoshida, the former President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide, spoke with the press in Pangyo, Seoul, sharing his perspective on Korea’s growing indie scene and the broader console ecosystem.
Yoshida recalled that when he visited G‑Star a few years ago, the focus was almost entirely on PC and mobile titles, with console booths barely visible. At the time, he even wondered if Korea had a controller culture at all. Fast forward to today, and the landscape looks very different. Console development has made remarkable progress, and the indie scene has expanded significantly. He added that just as Korean dramas and K‑pop have become global phenomena, there’s no reason Korean‑made games can’t achieve similar popularity.
Yoshida also spoke about his role in bringing Stellar Blade to PlayStation. Between 2019 and 2020, he visited Shift Up after hearing about a promising console project. Known mainly for Destiny Child at the time, the studio surprised him with the quality of its new game, polished visuals, stylish combat, and impressive character design.
"To my surprise, the new project had exceptional quality across the board-3D modeling, realism, graphics, and action. When I played it myself, it felt stylish, polished, and genuinely fun. What impressed me most was the way the team designed characters. Their process of creating digital figures from physical models was detailed and artistic."
“We absolutely want this game on PlayStation,” one of his colleagues said, and Yoshida agreed. That decision led to Stellar Blade’s eventual publishing deal, which he believes has had a ripple effect across Korea’s development community (via minimap).
"I believe [Stellar Blade] represents more than just one successful title. If the game succeeds, it could inspire many other Korean developers to pursue their ambitions. Even today’s conference and the growing confidence among Korean creators, in my view, owe something to Stellar Blade’s influence."
The numbers back up his optimism. Stellar Blade has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, combining PS5 and PC sales. Originally launched as a PS5 exclusive in April 2024, it hit 1 million sales within two months. The PC release in June 2025 reignited momentum, selling another million copies in just three days. The game topped Steam’s global charts, peaked at 192,078 concurrent players, and earned a glowing 93% “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating from more than 63,000 reviews.
Financially, Stellar Blade has been a powerhouse. According to Shift Up’s reports, royalties from Sony reached $19 million in Q1 alone, with annual totals surpassing $43.2 million. The success even fueled a blockbuster IPO in June 2024, the biggest gaming stock listing in South Korea in nearly three years. CEO Kim Hyung‑tae was later named among Korea’s 50 richest individuals by Forbes.
Shift Up celebrated by rewarding its 300+ employees with bonuses and PS5 Pro consoles, but the studio isn’t stopping there. A sequel is already in development, with a tentative release window before 2027.
Rumors suggest the team is exploring a Switch 2 port as developers gifted the newly launched console to all of its employees..