Stellar Blade’s success on PC is not just a triumph for developer Shift Up and publisher Sony; it also exemplifies the burgeoning South Korean games industry’s ambition for global dominance.
Shift Up announced that Stellar Blade’s PC version sold a million copies within its first three days on Steam. It now boasts over 3 million sales across PC and console platforms. The game’s peak concurrent player count on Steam nearly reached 200,000. This figure, according to Shift Up’s recent financial report, surpasses the PC performance of other flagship single-player titles from Sony, such as Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, and Spider-Man. This achievement marks the most successful PC launch for a PlayStation-exclusive IP, excluding the multiplayer phenomenon Helldivers 2.
Shift Up stated that, “Following the PS5 success of Stellar Blade as a triple-A IP, Shift Up leveraged its unique strengths in optimisation, user experience, content enhancements, and market specific marketing to continue its success in the PC market – becoming a developer with proven hits across mobile, PC, and console.” The studio anticipates continued success throughout the year.
The Korean Wave in Gaming
The popularity of Stellar Blade mirrors the broader global surge in Korean culture. K-pop groups have become international sensations. K-dramas and reality television shows are prevalent on streaming services. Korean films are winning Academy Awards. This cultural phenomenon is now extending to the gaming industry.
Recent weeks have been filled with announcements related to Korean games. Alongside Stellar Blade’s impressive sales figures, Nexon unveiled Woochi the Wayfarer, a single-player, triple-A action game rooted in Korean mythology, slated for release on PC and consoles. Leveraging its cultural foundation, it aims to replicate the success of titles like Black Myth: Wukong in China.
Krafton is also bringing Inzoi, a life-simulation game similar to The Sims, to the PS5. Meanwhile, Pearl Abyss has delayed the release of its open-world adventure, Crimson Desert, to early next year. The delay is attributed to extended timelines required for schedule coordination, collaboration with multiple partners for offline distribution, voice-overs, console certification, and other crucial launch preparations.
These developments follow the success of Soulslike game Lies of P, which celebrated the release of its downloadable content earlier this summer. Nexon has also been exploring the definition of “indie” with its popular title, Dave the Diver, while facing plagiarism accusations regarding its Destiny-inspired shooter, The First Descendant. Additionally, Krafton, the developer behind PUBG, acquired Tango Gameworks, the studio behind Hi-Fi Rush, to bolster its action game portfolio.
A Shift in Focus
The Korean games industry is evidently thriving. While the country has a long-standing history with gaming, its primary focus has traditionally been on mobile and online games, as well as its prominent esports scene. However, there is now a noticeable shift towards PC and console gaming, including single-player experiences. Pearl Abyss’ transition from its MMORPG Black Desert to the single-player Crimson Desert is a prime example of this trend.
Choi Ji-won, the director of Lies of P, stated that the studio’s “primary focus from the concept of this game was to deliver a high quality, premium action game that is single-player.” He also expressed openness to exploring multiplayer options in the future.
“In the future, instead of pegging us into a certain genre, we want the fans to look at us and actually know what sort of unique components that we deliver that they look forward to,” he added. “So they see our next work as a sort of projection of our trust and characters that we are building moving forward.”
Regarding the broader industry, Choi Ji-won noted, “There are many talented and remarkable developers in Korea, and we are grateful for the opportunity that in, especially the action game [genre], our game perhaps provided a little more motivation to the already talented developers in Korea to craft their own experience in the genre.”
The Allure of Action Games
Why are action games proving particularly popular? “I think action in general is very intuitive, it’s primal,” Choi Ji-won suggested. “It’s pretty natural that the action genre is big and there are many games actually in it. Also East Asia has a long tradition of action related materials, so because of that I think it comes very naturally.”
The Korean industry is now setting its sights on the global market. Jason Park, CEO of Round8 Studio, observed that there is a “fixed number of people” playing single-player games on consoles and PCs in South Korea, a number that “won’t change.” This is why Lies of P was designed with a global audience in mind.
Kim Hyung-tae, CEO of Shift Up, revealed that only five percent of Stellar Blade’s PS5 sales originated from Korea, and the console market share is not growing. This underscored the importance of the PC release. He also noted that mobile games are designed around monetisation, which appeals to an older demographic. “That’s continued for the past 20 years, and players have become older, so it’s harder to acquire new and younger users,” he said.
Strategic Investment and Future Growth
Industry analysts have echoed these sentiments. The Korean video game market has remained relatively stagnant, leading Korean companies, traditionally successful in developing live service MMORPGs, to explore new markets, genres, and business models, including premium single-player games for the global audience.
Furthermore, the Korean government has significantly increased its investment in domestic console game development, allocating 15.5 billion won. The success of titles like Stellar Blade and Lies of P demonstrates that this strategy is yielding positive results.
While the primary objective is to achieve growth outside of Korea, the industry is also seeking to address gaps within the domestic market by developing titles in genres that can challenge the dominance of established MMO, MOBA, and shooter games. Korean video game companies have also increased their investments in global studios and developing markets, aiming to build a publishing portfolio with global appeal.
This growth in Korea mirrors a similar trend in China, where the success of Black Myth: Wukong has paved the way for other action-RPGs. Developers in China have also shifted from mobile to PC and console development, seeking international recognition.
Shift Up intends to build on the success of Stellar Blade with a sequel, addressing criticisms regarding the lack of story depth in the first game. Its next original game, currently known as Project Spirit, is under development and is expected to be released around 2027. Whether it can replicate Stellar Blade’s success amidst increasing competition from other Korean developers remains to be seen.