Stellar Blade Director Says AI Essential for South Korea to Compete With China and US Studios
4 Sources
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Stellar Blade director goes all-in on AI as South Korea's games industry looks to compete on the global stage
Much has been written about Stellar Blade's handling of its lead female character, the culture war surrounding it, and developer Shift Up's several eyebrow-raising missteps as the game broke through into mainstream consciousness. Regardless, the PS5 title was a big success and a sequel is now in
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Stellar Blade lead believes AI is essential for South Korea to compete with studios in the US and China, with the government to provide financial backing to support the use of the tech
As discussions around AI continue to flare, the director of 2024's Stellar Blade has stated he believes it's a necessary tool to help South Korean devs compete with the likes of America and China. Speaking at a national conference, he expressed this view in terms of the simple economics of the
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Stellar Blade developer believes AI is necessary to even the playing field with massive developers
The Korean studio currently employs around 150 developers, a fraction of some AAA behemoths. Artificial intelligence and how it is utilised in the world of game development is still a hotly debated topic, with some arguing that it has no place in it whatsoever, some seeing its benefits, and others
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'One Person Can Perform the Work of 100 People' -- Boss of Stellar Blade Developer Says It Needs to Use AI to Compete With Overwhelming Manpower of China and U.S. Studios - IGN
"We devote around 150 people to a single game, but China puts in between 1,000 to 2,000." Stellar Blade director and CEO of Shift Up Hyung-tae Kim has stated that without the use of AI, developers in smaller nations will struggle to keep up with studios in places like the U.S. and China. As first
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Shift Up CEO Hyung-tae Kim claims AI is necessary for South Korea's games industry to compete globally, stating one person could perform the work of 100 people with AI assistance. Speaking at a national economic strategy summit, Kim highlighted the resource gap between Korean studios deploying 150 developers versus Chinese teams of 1,000 to 2,000 people.
Stellar Blade Director Champions AI for South Korea's Games Industry
Hyung-tae Kim, director of Stellar Blade and CEO of Shift Up, has positioned AI as a critical tool for South Korea's games industry to compete on the global stage. Speaking at the country's 2026 Economic Growth Strategy summit, Kim argued that AI is "an essential tool for going up against large competitors like China on a global level"
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. His comments arrive as the debate around generative AI in game development intensifies across the industry, with studios like Larian experimenting cautiously while others face backlash for suspected AI-generated content1
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Source: Eurogamer
The Resource Gap Driving AI Adoption
Kim's stance stems from a stark reality facing Korean developers: overwhelming manpower disparities. "We devote around 150 people to a single game, but China puts in between 1,000 to 2,000. We lack the capacity to compete, both in terms of quality and volume of content," Kim explained
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. This resource gap presents a fundamental challenge as South Korea's games industry transitions from MMO-oriented projects toward AAA game development that can compete with US and China studios1
. With Stellar Blade 2 now in development following the original's commercial success, Shift Up faces pressure to level the playing field against better-resourced competitors2
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Source: GameReactor
AI Assistance to Increase Employee Productivity
Kim contends that AI won't trigger job losses but will instead amplify individual capabilities. He claims "one person can perform the work of 100 people" with AI assistance, arguing that competing globally will require "not only utilizing all available manpower, but also making everyone proficient in AI"
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. The goal, according to the developer, is enabling workers rather than replacing them3
. Hwi-young Chae, South Korea's minister of culture, sports and tourism, echoed this perspective, noting that larger companies already build proprietary AI tools while the government plans financial backing to help smaller teams invest in AI starting this year2
.Related Stories
Industry Divided on Generative AI in Game Development
The broader games industry remains fractured on AI adoption. EA CEO Andrew Wilson has declared AI "the very core of our business," while Square Enix cited AI as justification for mass layoffs and reorganization
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. Ubisoft, Nintendo, and multiple studios have faced accusations of using AI-generated imagery in marketing materials and games, forcing public denials and content removal4
. Critics argue these tools produce inferior content requiring human cleanup, while proponents see inevitable productivity gains. Kim's assertion that bigger companies already implement these technologies holds weight, though whether smaller studios should follow suit to compete with US and China remains contentious2
. As 2026 unfolds, the industry faces a defining moment: widespread adoption or rejection of AI tools that could reshape how games are made and who makes them.
Source: GamesRadar
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