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Shift Up CEO Defends Stellar Blade: Blood Rain AI Music Video Against Player Backlash
Shift Up CEO Kim Hyung Tae has publicly defended an AI-generated music video promoting the upcoming sequel Stellar Blade: Blood Rain, after it drew heavy criticism from players. The video, released on 31 July, features protagonist Evie singing and dancing to a pop song, but shows typical hallmarks of AI generation such as garbled text, inconsistent character models and an airbrushed appearance, prompting fans to accuse the studio of undermining its own artists' work.
Kim argued on X that the AI had not created Evie from scratch, but had merely rendered her using character data and designs built over more than a year by the studio's artists and modellers, asking fans to view the video "with that understanding in mind." The explanation failed to reassure critics, with several arguing that the AI output distorts Evie's appearance and risks damaging the brand and the perceived quality of the developers' genuine work, even on a project that has otherwise been highly anticipated. The video promotes the game rather than being taken from it, though Kim has previously cited AI as a way for Shift Up to compete with better-resourced Chinese studios.
In short
- Shift Up CEO defends AI-made Stellar Blade: Blood Rain music video
- Fans criticised the video's obvious AI-generation flaws and artistic disrespect
- CEO says AI only rendered artists' existing character designs, not new creation
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The CEO's defence has merit—the AI used character data and designs created by the studio's artists over more than a year of work rather than generating Evie from scratch. For a smaller studio seeking to compete with better-resourced Chinese competitors, using AI as a rendering tool for promotional content represents pragmatic efficiency. The video is marketing material rather than representative of the actual game's quality or artistry.
The case against
Critics raise legitimate concerns about using AI for creative promotional work, even when building on pre-existing human designs. The visible quality issues—garbled text, character inconsistencies, airbrushed appearance—demonstrate the tool produces inferior results that risk damaging brand perception and character integrity. Beyond the practical quality concern, using AI here signals devaluing the human artists whose foundational work underpins the project, which raises ethical questions regardless of whether the character design originated as human creation.
Explained simply
Shift Up is a South Korean game studio, and Stellar Blade is an action game whose central character is Evie. The studio is preparing a sequel, Stellar Blade: Blood Rain, and has used promotional videos to introduce it to players.
AI-generated images and video can be made from prompts and existing digital material, including character designs. This has led to debate in games and other creative industries about how AI affects artists’ work and the look of finished products. For Shift Up, the discussion also touches on how the studio presents its characters and games to fans.
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