Summary
The developers ofStellar Bladehave asked fans to “go easy” on the digital demo released on the PlayStation store after revealing a huge milestone for the upcoming game before its release.Stellar Bladeis a brand-new IP from Korean developer Shift Up, best known for games such asNIKKEandDestiny’s Child. Stellar Blade also marks the first time Shift Up is developing a single-player-focused game, and has gotten a large amount of attention and hype surrounding it ever since its 2022 re-reveal.
First announced asProject Eveas a multiplatform game for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, it made a surprise re-appearance during the September 2022 PlayStation State of Play as a PS5 exclusive, with the hype continuing to build as more information was revealed about it. A gameplay demo forStellar Bladewas released before its April 26 launch, which only intensified fans' expectations for it, with many praising the combat, though there were some complaints aboutStellar Blade’s demo having troublesome input lag. The amount of people dedicating time to the demo, however, has caught the attention of the developers, who asked players to “go easy” on it.
In a tweet posted on the officialStellar BladeTwitter account, Shift Up expressed thanks for players dedicating time to the game and expressing their love. The post notes that to “enjoy the game properly,” players should go easy on playing the demo. It noted that some players have dedicated 50+ hours to playingStellar Blade’s demo, adding a “we’re scared” to the end of the tweet as well. A normal run throughStellar Blade’s demo takes roughly an hour, with players being able to continue off from where they left off in the demo after purchasing the full game, meaning there are some players dedicated to grinding up before the adventure fully starts later this April.
Stellar Blade’s Early Success
This isn’t the only milestone thatStellar Bladehas recently surpassed with only its demo, as thepeak number of players forStellar Blade’s demo has surpassedFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s. According to Ampere Analysis,Stellar Bladehas reached a peak of 690,000 daily active users on PS5, while theFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthdemo had previously accrued around 380,000 players daily. This is impressive, considering howFinal Fantasyis a well-known established IP whileStellar Bladeis a brand-new property from a smaller developer.
These early indicators are good potential benchmarks regardingStellar Blade’s success. Shift Up appears to have a lot of confidence in the action RPG’s chances as well, as it is working onpost-launch updates forStellar Blade, such as adding a New Game Plus mode and other patches. Fans will need to wait until April 26 to see if the hype forStellar Bladeis well-warranted.
Stellar Blade
WHERE TO PLAY
RECLAIM EARTH FOR HUMANKIND The future of humanity hangs in the balance in Stellar Blade, an all-new story-driven action adventure. Ravaged by strange, powerful creatures, Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of the decimated human race has fled to a Colony in outer space. After travelling from the Colony, 7th Airborne Squad member EVE arrives on the desolate remains of our planet with a clear-cut mission: to save humankind by reclaiming Earth from the Naytiba – the malevolent force that has devastated it. But as EVE tackles the Naytiba one-by-one, piecing together the mysteries of the past in the ruins of human civilization, she realizes that her mission is far from straightforward. In fact, almost nothing is as it seems…
