SHIFT UP, the studio behind the recent PlayStation 5 hit Stellar Blade, is currently working on a new cross-platform project codenamed Project Witches.
This came from SHIFT UP’s initial public offering filing on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index, where the company discussed future developments and plans.
One such discussion is the reveal of the codename for its new game, which was described as a “AAA urban sci-fi action RPG” – previously teased on the company’s recruitment page.
Project Witches is described as a “next-generation mega subculture” IP that the company noted will surpass its sexy soldier-recruiting gacha title Goddess of Victory: NIKKE.
The subculture IPs being used as examples include games like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Fate/Grand Order, which are all different in genre but share the common structure of them being gacha games – where you roll and hope RNG permits you to get your loved ones a.k.a. your desired characters. This hints at Project Witches likely being a gacha game, or having gacha mechanics.
According to the filing, Project Witches is currently in the early stages of development and is planned to be released worldwide in 2027 or later across consoles, PC, and mobile with cross-play.
The document reads, “We believe that our ability to develop new [intellectual properties] that can be successful without relying on existing [intellectual properties] will enable us to grow sustainably compared to other game companies that are locked into existing [intellectual properties].”
Aside from talks about its new project, SHIFT UP also noted that a PC version and even a sequel for Stellar Blade are under consideration, especially highlighting that sales of the game have exceeded expectations.
Stellar Blade is SHIFT UP’s AAA debut, with the studio mostly specializing in gacha mobile games prior. The studio’s other titles include the now sadly shut down Destiny Child, where you recruit scantily clad devilish ladies, and the now highly popular Goddess of Victory: Nikke, where you recruit scantily clad android soldier ladies.
From their 3 games, you can obviously see what the studio’s signature style is and what you could probably expect from Project Witches when it gets a full reveal in the future.