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When Hyung-Tae Kim, the mastermind behindStellar Bladeand the CEO of SHIFT UP, decided to venture into the console gaming market, he was all but discouraged from even attempting to enter the market.
Triple-A console gaming in South Korea is a very niche market that people dare not venture into. But the visionary in Kim leads him to push on, carrying one important mantra in mind; and it might’ve been the best decision he ever made.
People Did Not Want Hyung-Tae Kim to Make Stellar Blade
Trends in the gaming industry are constantly shifting, and it takes more than just skill to stand out. Games don’t need to break conventions to be good, but when done well, charting unexplored territories and challenging established standards can really make a game stand out.
Hyung-Tae Kim is a great example of this type of innovator. In a recent interview with South Korean establishmentNate, Kim shed light on how the development journey for his latest game began.
Stellar Blade: Final Fantasy and 1 Other Iconic Childhood Classic Was Enough to Inspire Hyung Tae Kim’s Career
For context, PC gaming is vastly popular in South Korea. There are many reasons for this, one of them being that internet cafes where you’re able to pay to use a high-end gaming PC by the hour are affordable and abundant.
So, when Kim dared to venture into console game development, those around him weren’t the most ecstatic:
People around me ask, ‘Why are you trying to do something that doesn’t make any money?’ If I make a Lineage-like game, I’ll make 100 billion won a year…’ However, the real trap is to follow the direction everyone sees.
Well, judging by the insane amount of attention, love, and discourse that has emerged around the game, Kim’s risk has paid off tenfold.
Kim is Inching His Way Toward a Spot Amongst the Legendaries
Stellar Bladehad a lot of hype surrounding it on a global scaleeven before its release. When it came out, it garnered amazing ratings—a Metacritic score of 82 points and an Open Critic rating of 84 points, solidifying its status as a force to be reckoned with.
Kim took a big risk and did something that others had told him would not turn a profit. But rather than profit, he wanted to make a game that, at its core, was fun.
![[REDACTED] Review (PS5) – Innovation Caught the Escape Pod Faster Than We Did](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/05095712/redacted-review-768x432.jpg)
It would be disingenuous to say Kim is the next Hidetaka Miyazaki so soon, but he certainly has the potential.
“Interesting considering they were joking around…”: The Future of Stellar Blade is Already Up in the Air after Hyung Tae Kim’s Latest Comments
When Miyazaki took over a failingDemon’s Soulsproject at FromSoftware, he completely overhauled it, trying out every idea he had.In his own words, if it failed, nobody would care.
He mentioned that the team wasn’t interested in following any trend. While it didn’t do so well upon release, its popularity soon exploded, leading to the birth of the Soulslike genre as we know it today.
Do you feel like Kim’s game reinvented the wheel in any way? What are you hoping to see in Kim’s next game? Let us know in the comments below!
Vibha Hegde
Critic/Gaming Writer
Articles Published :594
Vibha is an avid gamer that has been writing about video games for several years. When they’re not complaining about the lack of a Bloodborne sequel or brushing up on the Yokoverse lore, Vibha is busy watching 3-hour video essays on horror games they’re too scared to play themselves.
