Vortex Gaming

Shift Up's Goddess of Victory: Nikke and Stellar Blade are doing a cross-collaboration. This collaboration, which will be held on June 12th with the release of the PC version of Stellar Blade, is Shift Up's first in-house collaboration, and can be found in both Nikke and Stellar Blade.

First of all, Nikke's collaboration will be held from June 12th to July 2nd, and you can see new characters, costumes, bosses, and mini-games. Eve, Raven, and Lily, who represent Stellar Blade, will be collaboration Nikkes, and Providence will appear as a new boss. In addition, new costumes for Eve, Raven, and Hongryeon will be added, and you can also enjoy a 3D combat mini-game that simplifies the boss battle of Stellar Blade.

Stellar Blade will also present a collaboration DLC with Nikke. The DLC will be available on June 12th, the same day as the PC version release. Stellar Blade will also add new costumes and hairstyles such as Rapi, Anis, and Alice, as well as the Nikke mini-game. In addition, Hongryeon will appear as a DLC boss, allowing you to have a special experience.

Ahead of this special cross-collaboration, an interview was held with Shift Up's CEO Kim Hyung-tae and Director Yoo Hyung-seok. In this joint interview with domestic media, we were able to check various information and behind-the-scenes stories about the collaboration.

Q. I don't think the collaboration would have been easy considering the goals of the two games. I'm curious about each person's goals and objectives for the collaboration, and how far you see the possibilities.

김형태= When we announced the collaboration with the Stellar Blade announcement, we didn't have a specific plan. However, since both games are based on stories that I had in mind, there are overlapping parts in the worldviews. So, doing a collaboration where the stories match well felt like destiny.

It's not easy to show stories in Stellar Blade. We have to translate into 22 languages and dub into 8 languages, which is difficult in itself. Nevertheless, in this collaboration, we tried to showcase various stories through Hongryeon and Volt by casting Hongryeon's voice actor, and above all, we wanted to highlight the character's charm, Hongryeon's charm. On the other hand, Nikke was able to deal with many things that Stellar Blade couldn't.

Usually, when you do a collaboration, you have to respect the other IP and be careful not to touch the world view. This time, it's an in-house collaboration, so we proceeded with a raw collaboration without any of that. I think we'll be able to show you a collaboration with very thick blood mixed in.

유형석= Nikke has a history of collaborations. In the case of Stellar Blade, I thought we could try more things since it's an in-house collaboration. From that perspective, we developed it while thinking about how to deliver more fun to users. A prime example of this is full voice dubbing. You can also enjoy Stellar Blade's unique field production. You can definitely see that we put a lot of effort into this collaboration through these various aspects.

Q. In the case of Nikke, I'm worried that the mini-games will be too difficult or that there will be content that is difficult to enjoy on mobile.

유형석= Nikke's mini-games have the nickname 'Big Game' in both good and bad ways. Some say it's excessively large and stressful, while others say they're enjoying it because there's a lot of content for a mini-game.

The most important thing we focused on when preparing this collaboration mini-game was how to optimize the controls and difficulty for mobile while showing the action of Stellar Blade. Basically, you can experience Stellar Blade's exhilarating action with just one touch, and we put a lot of thought into allowing users to enjoy it freely according to their play style by supporting landscape and portrait modes. We are putting a lot of effort into preparing the mini-game.

김형태= I took a quick look and they're doing something ridiculous. However, I want to say that it's not that great, so don't get your hopes up too high, but we're working hard (laughs).

Q. I'm curious about how Nikke will enter the world of Stellar Blade. And how much is the collaboration?

김형태= The content of Stellar Blade's collaboration itself can be long or short. You can enjoy it in depth, but you can also quickly get what you want and go back to Stellar Blade.

And through this collaboration, I wanted to show what it would be like if Nikke came out as a 3D game, a semi-realistic 3D game. Eve is standing in as a model for Hongryeon, but the key is the feeling that Nikke's character conveys when it's made in 3D. And since this is getting surprisingly positive feedback from those around me, I thought it might affect the future direction of Nikke IP development. I hope you enjoy it while imagining that future.

유형석= Since we're expressing a 2D character in a 3D realistic style, I was very worried before Hongryeon's visuals came out. But I was quite surprised when I saw the results. Dororong was similar. I was worried about whether simple graphics and characters created as 2D memes could be integrated into a 3D game. However, I realized that the Stellar Blade development team is in the same company, so they have a high understanding of the IP.

김형태= Our 3D team leader did the modeling himself. He worked really hard.

Q. Conversely, what difficulties were there in moving 3D graphics to 2D in Nikke, and what did you focus on?

유형석= While preparing for the collaboration, we were just as concerned about bringing the Stellar Blade mini-game, 3D, into Nikke as we were about moving 3D to 2D. The engine is different, and the basic game structure is completely different, so we worked as if we were creating a new game. We worked the hardest.

And Nikke and Stellar Blade are games that have the same starting point: Kim Hyung-tae's graphic style. So the process of expressing it was very fun. It's not that it's easy because it's 2D, but the character's expression methods are similar, so they can be well integrated. But if I say this, it might be a bit rude to Character Group Leader Chae Ji-yoon. Since Chae Ji-yoon is in charge of the characters, she proceeded while talking a lot with Kim Hyung-tae. There must have been more concerns internally.

김형태= Chae Ji-yoon is my wife, and she is in charge of Nikke's characters. After working together at the company, we go home together. And we work together again at home. In the case of this collaboration, she brought a lot of work home and worked until 3 a.m., so I couldn't play because I felt guilty (laughs).

She worked really hard. When she got stuck while working next to me, I would bring it over and modify her face or something to make it look like my drawing, get her approval, and get rejected while making it. So a character was created that had my color in it, had the feel of Stellar Blade, but suited Nikke. Nikke's art team worked hard to move the level of detail to the Nikke style without missing it. Thanks to this, very attractive characters and costumes that you would never have thought of will appear.

Q. In the case of Nikke, there are concerns about character balance issues every time there is a collaboration. Can you tell us about that?

유형석= We are concerned about the character power aspect every time we do a collaboration. However, the basic principle is that collaboration characters should not have top-tier specs. Basically, the most powerful characters are the original characters. Nevertheless, you may feel that they are strong.

This is one of the devices to help fans of the other IP adapt to the game when they enter Nikke. I think it's right to have a reasonable level of power so that fans who like the other IP can play the game smoothly with that character. We are constantly exploring that reasonable level and thinking about the level that users want.

김형태= I trust the Nikke balance team. I believe they will have created a good balance that makes you want to get it, but not too upset if you don't get it, but still want to get it. On a slightly different note, Hongryeon in Stellar Blade is one of the strongest bosses in Stellar Blade. It will be a big challenge.

Q. I think the main consumer base for the two games is different. From the perspective of Shift Up, what are your expectations for the collaboration's performance?

김형태= Stellar Blade has sold a lot in the West, and most of Nikke's user base is distributed in Asia. So, we hope that this collaboration will increase interest in each other's content, but we don't have specific quantified goals. We focused more on how fun the collaboration between the two games could be, and whether users who enjoy the two games would find this appealing.

We put a lot of effort into the game itself so that the collaboration could feel like a festival or a different event for each game's users. And we wanted to show that you can do this much if you collaborate with the same company. I think that if we do that, interesting content will naturally come out and market expansion will be possible. It may be an irresponsible story, but I think the most important thing for a game company is to speak through games.

유형석= Shift Up is a company with a unified game color. So Nikke fans were really excited when the Stellar Blade collaboration was revealed. I think this collaboration will be a good opportunity for fans of both games to become interested in each other's games and Shift Up's games.

Q. I'm curious about the process of selecting Hongryeon as the collaboration boss among many characters.

김형태= The atmosphere was naturally formed that Hongryeon should come out without discussion. Since she was a character from the beginning, I thought she could convey many stories. Users know a lot about Hongryeon's personality and 말투, but at the same time, she is a character that arouses curiosity about swordsmanship. So we made Hongryeon the boss without any objection. We also put a lot of effort into making the costume look more attractive by implementing it in 3D.

유형석= I completely agree. In fact, I was ready to say let's choose Hongryeon if CEO Kim Hyung-tae mentioned another character, but it was naturally achieved.

Q. Were there any difficulties because it was a collaboration with the same company?

김형태= There were no disadvantages. It was a very enjoyable job. The disadvantage was that we overdid it. There were no obstacles or anything like that while making it, and we cooperated and created things that didn't exist. It was a very enjoyable collaboration. Not many companies have games that can do this kind of in-house collaboration. This experience is really precious, and it makes me look forward to how many different things we can unfold with this as an opportunity.

유형석= I was burdened because I was working with CEO Kim Hyung-tae's work (laughs). But I'm satisfied because the results were good.

Q. What were some of the special things that were possible because it was an in-house collaboration?

김형태= In the case of collaborations with other companies, the data provided is limited. However, since it was an in-house collaboration, we were able to deliver the internal source resources as they were, as well as very deep fundamental models, as well as basic sketches and settings. Thanks to this, a deeper collaboration was possible. I thought it would be really great if everyone proceeded with this kind of cross-collaboration with this kind of mindset.

And also, since Stellar Blade is our first console game, we are aware that the character narrative was not sufficient. When conveying a narrative, many things are needed, such as cutscenes, motion capture, and voice.

However, we completed the game with about 80 people. Therefore, it was difficult to express the narrative of all the characters with cutscenes, so we focused on revealing the character's narrative and focusing on the main storyline. I felt that we were able to fill in the slightly lacking narrative through the Nikke collaboration. The story is so interesting, so please look forward to it.

유형석= To give a more specific example, there's Dororong. It's not easy for the Nikke team to use Dororong as content. The Dororong material is a secondary creation meme derived from the community, so there are differences from the original Dorothy. At least Dorothy doesn't walk on all fours (laughs).

It's very difficult for us to define what Dororong is. So when we said we were going to use this in the collaboration, the process of us reviewing and confirming the content could not have been easy. But it was a trial that was possible because it was an in-house collaboration. If you're really curious about the process, you can go downstairs and ask. I think this was possible because of this smooth communication.

In that sense, it's not easy for Nikke and Stellar Blade to recreate each other's games in the game, but it was easier to proceed because it was an in-house collaboration.

Q. Nikke will be released in China soon, and Stellar Blade will also be released on PC, so I think there will be an IP strengthening effect. Do you think this collaboration will create synergy?

김형태= The collaboration deployment time and the PC release time of Stellar Blade are all the same. It was very difficult to match these dates. We have been discussing with publishers for a very long time, and we had to match the production schedule within that, so it would not have been possible without the help of many people.

It's June 12th in Korean time, and you can see the collaboration and the PC version at the same time. I think this has become an issue that many people can focus on and be more interested in.

Q. I'm curious about the reactions and requests of each publisher, Sony and Level Infinite.

김형태= They might have been embarrassed. I unilaterally declared the collaboration and then persuaded them. Fortunately, both Sony and Level Infinite cooperated. If there was one crisis, it would be that Nikke's collaboration standards are strict. Stellar Blade needed to be a good enough game to avoid disappointing users.

The Stellar Blade release date was when we announced the collaboration. So I was very anxious because I didn't know the evaluation. I was worried about whether the Stellar Blade collaboration would be up to Nikke's standards. I was worried about whether it would be a good content worth taking responsibility for a quarter, and whether it would be inferior to existing collaborations. Fortunately, it received an evaluation that the publisher could accept, so close cooperation was possible.

유형석= The publishers' first reaction was probably very embarrassing. I was also embarrassed. I talked to CEO Kim Hyung-tae a lot about wanting to do a collaboration, but I heard about the collaboration confirmation in an article. So I remember being quite embarrassed, saying, 'Oh, we're doing a collaboration'.

But it was a collaboration I had always wanted. I had played the game since before the release of Stellar Blade, and I was very satisfied with the expression of the world and characters. So I appealed a lot that it would be good to collaborate with Nikke. I think the publishers were able to accept it naturally.

Q. CEO Kim Hyung-tae recently mentioned that he was deeply impressed by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I would like to know what he learned from the game and how it will be reflected in Stellar's sequel DLC and Project Witchs development. I'm also curious about the possibility of collaboration between Expedition 33 and Shift Up games.

김형태= I recently cleared it after playing for over a hundred hours, and it was a great game that reminded me of the charm of past console games. Many people always think that turn-based is minor. As someone who loves turn-based games, I was a bit disappointed that they were becoming more and more action-action games. Of course, Expedition 33 is almost Elden Ring (laughs). Nevertheless, they did not lose the charm of turn-based and focused on it.

I realized that regardless of the popularity of the genre or style, if you express it attractively and integrate it into the game, you can appeal to users. The games that Shift Up has made so far have tried to express something different from the existing ones, but it has become an opportunity to have a mindset that we need to create something even more fresh in the future. Since it's the hottest game these days, I think they'll be very busy. If there's an opportunity for collaboration, I'd definitely like to do it. I'm thinking of sending an email to Sandfall Interactive (laughs).

유형석= From a game market perspective, I was deeply impressed not only by Expedition 33 but also by Split Fiction. Nier Automata is my favorite game, and I can really see the intention of what kind of emotions they want to give to gamers and what they were thinking when they made the game. I am very moved when I strongly feel the will to make a game-like game for gamers. I can feel those emotions in the games that are being made recently.

So I was very surprised and thought I had to be very nervous. I reaffirmed my determination to cherish and love our games even more and to make efforts to present good games to gamers.

Q. From the beginning, there were mentions of Nikke in Stellar Blade. I'm curious about why this Easter egg was included.

김형태= I was actually spreading rice cakes. I was sending a love letter to the Nikke team, not the users. In a way, I unilaterally declared the collaboration, but I thought they would understand because I had spread rice cakes like this before.

유형석= I think I saw it in the game and enjoyed it. I think it's close to an Easter egg. There is a brief mention of it in this collaboration story.

Q. Shift Up games are entering China, so I think this collaboration can act as a marketing strategy. I'm curious about what content will appeal to each game in China, and what are the localization plans for China.

김형태= Stellar Blade and Nikke will meet users through various routes. Stellar Blade renewed the Chinese translation from the beginning and then cast famous voice actors to complete the dubbing wonderfully. We have prepared so that Chinese users can enjoy the game comfortably in their own language. There are also costumes that Chinese users will love. Of course, it is prepared so that all global users can enjoy it.

유형석= In the case of Nikke, we are preparing a separate build from the global version. However, it is difficult to answer in this place. Please understand that this interview only prepared content related to the collaboration.

Q. Please explain what kind of performance you are aiming for in the Stellar Blade PC version, which will be released in line with the collaboration.

김형태= It is difficult to predict sales, but we are expecting performance beyond the release of a single platform. However, I don't think it will happen all at once. I think it will continue to sell steadily in the long term, and I think it will exceed the numbers we expected on consoles.

And I have something I want to say to the users who are waiting. The current Stellar Blade is a completely different game from the early days. In the meantime, it has been transformed into a different game through various DLCs and updates, and has made many evolutions. I hope that PC users will take this opportunity to confirm that Stellar Blade is a different game than before.

Q. Nikke has held various offline events in the meantime. Is there an offline event planned for the Stellar Blade collaboration?

유형석= Nikke's offline event is scheduled, and there is one thing that has been revealed to users. We will be opening a pop-up store at Shinsegae Gangnam in June. We are planning to place a few collaboration products there. We are preparing such small and fun points, so please look forward to the offline event as well.

김형태= I also heard about it. Please look forward to it. However, this time, we focused on the game itself rather than making the event huge. Please think of it as a content update and collaboration for you gamers.

Q. In the case of Nikke, June is not a collaboration period. I think limited events will continue, but are there any changes to the event plan, and what are the plans for the rerun of Eve or other collaboration characters?

유형석= We are reviewing various aspects of providing opportunities to acquire collaboration characters again through reruns. We operate on a 1-year plan, and I think that plan is well known to users. But we don't take the same plan every year.

Collaborations can be scheduled at different times, so the timing may be adjusted. I think there are differences in the timing of operating bunny girls every year depending on the need. We move with a certain balance within a year, but we don't plan the same event every month.

Q. Finally, please say hello to the users who are looking forward to this collaboration.

김형태= This collaboration is not just a simple collaboration. It has also been very helpful in building teamwork, team collaboration processes, and pipelines. It has also been very helpful in sharing each other's know-how and strengths on how to be efficient. It has become an opportunity for each team to grow and to improve the quality of future content and games. So Shift Up will try to create more of these opportunities in the future. Please pay a lot of attention to the steps of Nikke and Stellar Blade, which include those results.

유형석= I was very burdened, but I tried to sublimate that burden into content. We have prepared a lot in the game. We are waiting for the commanders and Stellar Blade fans. I hope you enjoy it in the game. In Stellar Blade, please look forward to the Hongryeon boss battle, and in Nikke, please look forward to the story and field production the most.

웹진 인벤김수진 기자
2025-06-11