While originally stated to have a full reveal this year, Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has announced that their next title, Project Spirits, will not be getting a reveal until next year. The developer announced back in November of 2025 that they would be partnering with Chinese conglomerate Tencent, with the company’s global publishing brand, Level Infinite, serving as the publisher for the game as part of the agreement.
Very little has been showcased for the game thus far, with Shift Up previously describing Project Spirits as a “subculture cross-platform title” that takes key inspiration from “Eastern fantasy”. It is intended as a live service open-world sandbox title rather than a single-player game, and unlike their previous title, it is planned for a multiplatform release.
According to the company’s latest earnings call, Shift Up had plans in place to reveal the title fully by the end of the year; however, it decided to hold it back until 2027. The studio stated this was due to several major releases they felt would have impeded a proper reveal, though most likely there was just one (Grand Theft Auto VI) that was front and center on their minds. A statement released by the company reads:
Project Spirits, our next flagship title, is progressing smoothly in close cooperation with our partner, targeting a distinctive level of quality that can compete head-to-head with the major global subculture games
Having recently completed a positive build evaluation against the development-stage milestones, we are raising the quality of the game on the basis of a solid partnership. As for the timing of the reveal, we had originally targeted a reveal within 2026, but have decided to adjust the timing in light of the release schedule of major new titles from year-end through early next year.
We are reviewing the optimal timing to fully convey the unique world and gameplay of Project Spirits and to maximize the attention and buzz among global users, and will provide details as soon as the schedule is finalized. We will do our utmost to present Project Spirits at the highest level of quality, worthy of the support and anticipation of our users
This statement also addressed the development of the sequel to Stellar Blade, entitled Stellar Blade: Blood Rain. They stated, “Development of Stellar Blade: Blood Rain is progressing toward our target quality level under the principle of securing sufficient development time to deliver the highest level of completeness, and we plan to disclose information about the game in stages.”
Stellar Blade: Blood Rain was announced last year during the Summer Games Fest, offering flashy action sequences and a new protagonist named Evie. The title is being self-published and developer Shift Up is targeting a release on both the PlayStation 5 and PC.
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