Stellar Blade Wins Excellence Award and Six Others at the 2024 Korea Game AwardsStellar Blade Director Aims for Grand Prize in Future Games

SHIFT UP's Stellar Blade dominated the 2024 Korea Game Awards, claiming seven major awards, including the prestigious Excellence Award. The ceremony, held at Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO) on November 13th, recognized the game's technical achievements in Game Planning/Scenario, Graphics, Character Design, and Sound Design. Stellar Blade also received the Outstanding Developer Award and the Popular Game Award.

This win marks the fifth time that Stellar Blade Director and SHIFT UP CEO Kim Hyung-tae has been involved in a game that won at the Korea Game Awards. His previous wins include Magna Carta 2 for Xbox 360 and the 1999 title The War of Genesis 3, both during his time at Softmax. He also contributed to the 2012 PC game Blade and Soul as Art Director at NCSoft, and to SHIFT UP’s GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE in 2023.

"When we first created Stellar Blade, many people expressed concerns about whether we could make a console game in Korea and achieve meaningful results," Kim Hyung-tae said in his acceptance speech, according to Korean news outlet Econovill, translated via Google. "But with the help of all the staff and game officials, we were able to achieve good results."

Stellar Blade narrowly missed the Grand Prize, which went to Netmarble’s Solo Leveling: ARISE. Despite this, developer SHIFT UP remains committed to Stellar Blade’s future, with Kim Hyung-tae promising "Stellar Blade is not over yet. We are preparing many updates in the future, so look forward to it. Next time, we will make an even better game and even win the grand prize."

For a complete list of winners at the 2024 Korea Game Awards, you can refer to the table below:

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

Regardless, Stellar Blade's momentum continues to build. With a highly anticipated collaboration with Platinum Games' NieR: Automata slated for November 20th, and a PC release planned for 2025, the game's reach is expanding. SHIFT UP's 3rd Quarter Business Performance Results even indicate a commitment to sustain the IP’s popularity through increased marketing efforts and content updates.

And these seem to be just the beginning for Stellar Blade. More content updates and patches are on the horizon, and the game’s recent success both domestically and internationally will hopefully pave the way for future Korean-made AAA titles that can rival even the best games in the industry.