SHIFT UP's Stellar Blade achieved remarkable success at the 2024 Korea Game Awards, held on November 13th at the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO). The game secured an impressive seven awards, a testament to its exceptional quality and innovation.
Stellar Blade's Triumph at the 2024 Korea Game Awards
The accolades included the coveted Excellence Award, alongside recognition for its outstanding achievements in Game Planning/Scenario, Graphics, Character Design, and Sound Design. The game also received the Outstanding Developer Award and the Popular Game Award.
This marks the fifth Korea Game Award win for Stellar Blade Director and SHIFT UP CEO, Kim Hyung-tae. His previous successes span titles like Magna Carta 2, The War of Genesis 3, Blade and Soul, and Goddess of Victory: Nikke.
Kim Hyung-tae's acceptance speech, as reported by Econovill, expressed gratitude for the team's dedication and perseverance in overcoming initial skepticism about developing a successful console game in Korea.
While Stellar Blade narrowly missed the Grand Prize (awarded to Netmarble's Solo Leveling: ARISE), SHIFT UP remains committed to its continued development. Kim Hyung-tae assured fans of future updates and expressed ambition to win the grand prize in future iterations.
2024 Korea Game Awards Winners (Partial List):
| Award | Awardee | Company |
|---|---|
| Grand Presidential Award | Solo Leveling: ARISE | Netmarble |
| Prime Minister Award | Stellar Blade (Excellence Award) | SHIFT UP |
| Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award (Best Game Award) | |
| Trickcal Re:VIVE | Epid Games |
| Lord Nine | Smilegate |
| The First Descendant | Nexon Games |
| Sports Shipbuilding President Award | |
| Stellar Blade (Best Planning/Scenario) | SHIFT UP |
| Stellar Blade (Best Sound Design) | |
| Electronic Times President Award | |
| Stellar Blade (Best Graphics) | |
| Stellar Blade (Best Character Design) | |
| Commendation from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism | |
| Hanwha Life Esports (eSports Development Award) | |
| Gyu-Cheol Kim (Achievement Award) | Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Award |
| Kim Hyung-Tae (Outstanding Developer Award) | SHIFT UP |
| Stellar Blade (Popular Game Award) | |
| Terminus: Zombie Survivors (Indie Game Award) | Longplay Studios |
| Korean Creative Content Agency President Award | ReLU Games (Startup Company Award) |
| Game Management Committee Chairperson Award | Smilegate Megaport (Proper Gaming Environment Creation Company Award) |
| Game Cultural Foundation Director Award | Uncover the Smoking Gun | ReLU Games |
While not nominated for the Golden Joystick Awards' Ultimate Game of the Year, Stellar Blade's future remains bright. A collaboration with NieR: Automata is set for November 20th, with a PC release planned for 2025. SHIFT UP's Q3 business results show a commitment to maintaining the game's popularity through marketing and content updates. This success points towards a promising future for Korean AAA game development.
