Stellar Blade's Story Was Cut for Budget Reasons, But Sequel Promises Deeper Narrative

Image: Stellar Blade EVE

Stellar Blade's story may have felt incomplete to some players — and it turns out, that was by design. Director Hyung-tae Kim has confirmed that several narrative elements were intentionally cut due to budget constraints and production challenges during development. Now, with the game’s success and a sequel in the works, Shift Up aims to expand the universe with a much richer storyline.

In a recent interview with South Korean publication This is Game (as translated by Automaton), Kim explained that while Stellar Blade’s gameplay systems came together relatively early, creating cutscenes proved to be a much tougher task. The issue wasn’t just about time—it was about infrastructure. According to Kim, South Korean studios often lack the production systems and manpower necessary to develop games with a heavy narrative focus. Stellar Blade, while ambitious in many ways, was no exception.

"I think it is true that the story is poor," Kim stated. "The game's core gameplay system was completed relatively early, but the cutscenes were the biggest challenge. As we progressed through production, the cost of making cutscenes became too high, and we had to inevitably reduce cutscenes that would complement the world view or character narrative, except for the main plot, for efficiency."

This limitation led to the unfortunate trimming of multiple cutscenes that were originally planned to expand on the game’s world and its characters. Some of the scenes that were cut included deeper explorations of character motivations and relationships, such as an explanation behind Eve’s frequent outfit changes. Other narrative details, including full backstories for secondary NPCs, were also scrapped to streamline development.

Though the developers had initially considered adding more story content post-launch through free updates, they ultimately decided against it. The team feared that adding narrative elements after release might clash with the existing lore and disrupt the story’s consistency. With a sequel now in the works, the studio plans to reintroduce some of the shelved content from the original game—including ideas from a previously canceled story DLC—into a more comprehensive and emotionally resonant storyline.

As per the interview, the team at Shift Up is currently focused on the PC version of Stellar Blade and supporting it with necessary updates. Only after that will full-scale development on the sequel begin. While Kim has expressed hope that Stellar Blade 2 might launch in 2027, he acknowledges that the timeline could shift. Still, he’s confident that the next installment will reflect all the lessons learned and deliver something truly special, calling it a “great work” that will embody the studio’s growth.

"To be honest, we've been working on the PC version after the PS version, so it's time to do some proper R&D. It would be great if it came out in 2027, but since there are only three years left, I can only say that I will try my best. But I can assure you that it's going to be great," Kim added.

Interestingly, Kim also teased that the sequel will reveal the true ages of the main characters, including Eve—who, as it turns out, is older than most players might expect.

As for collaboration with other Shift Up titles like NIKKE or upcoming Project Spirits, the studio is open to loosely connected crossovers but has no plans to merge IPs into a shared universe.

"There are no plans for a game that integrates everything into one worldview for the sake of IP independence," Kim said. "What we're open to is loose connectivity that doesn't make collaboration between IPs impossible. We are developing each game in a way that allows it to develop with positive synergy with each other."

Stellar Blade is now available on both PlayStation 5 and PC (via Steam & Epic Games), and it has reportedly sold a cumulative total of 3 million units across both platforms.

Given the game's success and the studio’s evolving ambitions, fans can look forward to a richer, more story-driven experience in the next chapter.

Source: This is Game