Stellar Blade's Triumph at the 2024 Korea Game Awards: Seven Awards and a Promise of More
SHIFT UP's Stellar Blade achieved remarkable success at the 2024 Korea Game Awards, held on November 13th at the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO), securing a total of seven prestigious awards.
Stellar Blade's Director Sets Sights on Future Grand Prize Wins
The game's accolades included the Excellence Award and recognition for its exceptional Game Planning/Scenario, Graphics, Character Design, and Sound Design. It also earned the Outstanding Developer Award and the Popular Game Award.
This marks the fifth Korea Game Award win for Stellar Blade's Director and SHIFT UP CEO, Kim Hyung-tae, adding to his impressive track record with titles like Magna Carta 2, The War of Genesis 3, Blade and Soul, and Goddess of Victory: Nikke.
In his acceptance speech, as reported by Econovill and translated via Google, Kim Hyung-tae expressed gratitude to his team and acknowledged initial doubts surrounding the development of a Korean-made console game. He highlighted the collective effort that led to Stellar Blade's success.
While Stellar Blade narrowly missed the Grand Prize, which went to Netmarble's Solo Leveling: ARISE, Kim Hyung-tae assured fans that the game's journey is far from over. He promised future updates and expressed ambition to achieve the Grand Prize in future iterations.
Below is a summary of the 2024 Korea Game Awards winners:
| 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 |
Despite missing a Golden Joystick Awards nomination, Stellar Blade's future looks bright. A collaboration with NieR: Automata is set for November 20th, a PC release is planned for 2025, and SHIFT UP's commitment to continued marketing and content updates ensures the game's ongoing momentum. This success story promises to inspire future Korean AAA game development.
