By Sagar V. Mankar 
South Korean game developer Shift Up is starting 2025 on a high note, rewarding its entire staff with PlayStation 5 Pro consoles and substantial cash bonuses following a remarkably successful year. The company, which released the hit action game Stellar Blade last year, distributed these rewards during a special company event in Seoul.
According to the South Korean publication Naver (noted by VGC), each of Shift Up’s approximately 311 employees received:
- A brand new PlayStation 5 Pro console
- A cash bonus of 5 million won (approximately $3,400)
The company shared a celebratory video of the distribution event on their official Twitter account, showcasing their staff receiving the new consoles alongside glimpses of Stellar Blade characters Eve and Lily.
We had our SHIFTUP New Year’s event today. Everyone got a PS5Pro so you can enjoy Stellar Blade in 4K, right?
Oh, and there’s a glimpse of Lily and Eve…💕#StellarBlade #SHIFTUP #HappyNewYear pic.twitter.com/VihP4Qhnr1— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) January 6, 2025
A Year of Achievements
2024 proved to be a landmark year for Shift Up. Their PlayStation 5 exclusive, Stellar Blade, launched in April and quickly became a commercial and critical success. The game reached an impressive milestone of one million copies sold within just two months of release. Critics and players alike praised its combat system, visual design, and engaging boss battles, reflected in its strong review scores:
- Metacritic score: 81 out of 100 (based on 138 critic reviews), User Score: 9.2 out of 10 (based on 7,052 user ratings)
- OpenCritic: 83% critic recommendation rate
Financial Success
The company’s achievements extended beyond game sales. In July 2024, Shift Up made headlines with its initial public offering (IPO), raising an impressive 435 billion won (approximately $320 million) on its first day of trading. According to Bloomberg, this marked the largest gaming company IPO in South Korea since Krafton’s $3.8 billion raising in 2021.
Financial reports reveal that Stellar Blade generated:
- 25.8 billion won ($18.5 million) in its launch quarter (April-June)
- 22.5 billion won ($16.1 million) in the following quarter (July-September)
By the end of September 2024, total revenue from the game stood at 48.4 billion won (around $34.6 million). Despite this impressive performance, the company’s two-year-old mobile RPG Goddess of Victory: Nikke remains its cash cow, generating approximately $51.9 million during the same period.
Looking to the Future
Shift Up isn’t resting on its laurels. The company has announced plans to:
- Release Stellar Blade on PC in 2025
- Develop “Project Witches,” a new multiplatform game scheduled after 2027
- Explore the possibility of a Stellar Blade sequel
The company expects the PC version of Stellar Blade to perform even better than its PS5 counterpart, citing the recent success of Black Myth: Wukong on Steam as an encouraging indicator.
Founded in 2013 by Hyung-Tae Kim, Shift Up has grown into one of South Korea’s leading game developers. With strong backing from Tencent Holdings and a dedicated team, the company is well-positioned to continue its upward trajectory in the global gaming industry.
Sources: Naver, Bloomberg, OpenCritic, Shift Up Financial Reports.