Stellar Blade's 2024 Update Roadmap Explained (2024)

Shift Up's Stellar Blade is by far one of the most surprising gaming success stories in recent memory. After battling plenty of controversy over its character models ahead of its release and even now, Stellar Blade initially seemed like it would have a very hard time sticking the landing. Thankfully, it proved to be much more than that, with vast open-world zones to explore and satisfyingly challenging gameplay, despite a lackluster narrative. Now, even without being a live-service game, Stellar Blade is set to receive several updates throughout 2024 after Shift Up reported estimated sales surpassing one million copies.

During an IPO press conference on June 25, Shift Up announced its plans for Stellar Blade during the remainder of 2024 and beyond. The developer not only reported that Stellar Blade has sold over one million copies but also that it has achieved universal acclaim on Metacritic with a user rating of 9.2, one of the highest for a PlayStation 5 game so far. In light of that, the developer has refused to quit with Stellar Blade, even after adding a Boss Challenge mode to the game and several new outfits for EVE. Included in Stellar Blade's 2024 roadmap are a few fan-requested features, as well as a collaboration that Shift Up has yet to be transparent about.

Everything Currently Coming to Stellar Blade in 2024

Stellar Blade Will Finally Receive a Photo Mode Around August

When Stellar Blade first launched at the end of April 2024, the lack of a photo mode was perplexing. A game that seemed to focus so much on its visuals and yet lacked a proper photo mode just didn't make sense. Of course, Shift Up assured fans that it would add a photo mode to Stellar Blade if fans requested it enough, and it turns out the developer is going to make good on that promise. "Around August," Stellar Blade will finally receive a photo mode, so players can take customized screenshots of their favorite moments in the game.

Even More Outfits Will Be Added to Stellar Blade After October

Ahead of its release, Stellar Blade's outfits were one of its most prominent features, and that remained true even after the game's launch. There are dozens of outfits for EVE and her friends to wear in Stellar Blade, and more have been added since. Shift Up isn't going to stop there, however, as it plans to add even more character skins to the game "after October." Whether that means in October after it begins or sometime in November or December, at least there is confirmation that more outfits are on the way.

Stellar Blade Will Feature a Large-Scale Collaboration at the End of 2024

The most cryptic mention in the IPO press conference is a "large-scale collaboration" that Stellar Blade will be participating in at the end of the year. As of now, Shift Up has not been clear as to who or what this collaboration will be with, but some have speculated it will be with NieR: Automata, considering Stellar Blade's similarities to NieR: Automata and the good rapport shared between Shift Up and PlatinumGames. However, Shift Up has already announced a collaboration with its other game, Goddess of Victory: Nikke, which has yet to happen. It's possible Stellar Blade's collab with Nikke could very well be the "large-scale collaboration" Shift Up was referring to during the press conference.

Shift Up also confirmed "additional DLC" and "sequels" for Stellar Blade coming after 2024 during the IPO press conference. The additional DLC it mentioned could simply be more cosmetic outfits, but a Stellar Blade DLC featuring Lily would be an excellent addition to the base game. Furthermore, the fact that Shift Up said "sequels" implies it is already cooking up plans for multiple subsequent installments for what will become the Stellar Blade franchise.

Stellar Blade

Stellar Blade is an action-RPG developed by Shift Up and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game follows protagonist Eve as she attempts to save a devastated Earth from invaders called Naytiba.

Platform(s)

PS5

Released

April 26, 2024

Developer(s)

Shift Up

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Genre(s)

Action RPG

Metascore

82

PS Plus Availability

N/A

System

PlayStation

$69 at Amazon