Shift Up boss Hyung-Tae Kim has defended the studio's AI-generated music video for Stellar Blade: Blood Rain after fans accused the company of releasing "AI slop." Responding to a follower who questioned why the studio wasn't relying on its "talented artists," Kim argued that the video's star, new protagonist Evie, was hand-crafted by artists and modellers over more than a year, and that the generative AI was only used to render her movements rather than create her from scratch. The row matters because Shift Up, founded by illustrators, has built its reputation on strong character art, and fans feel that reputation is being undermined by visibly AI-assisted content.

The music video, for the song "Wanna Be in Love," depicts Evie singing in Blood Rain's China-inspired city setting, but was criticised for uncanny facial expressions and visual errors typical of generative AI, having been produced through Shift Up's AI Labs division. This follows a similarly AI-heavy reveal trailer for the game, and even the studio's own fan account publicly voiced disappointment. Push Square's editor notes that Kim's explanation may not satisfy critics, since the generative tool likely draws on vast uncredited external data even if Evie's original design is Shift Up's own work, and suggests Blood Rain is likely to feature further AI-generated content ahead of release.