# Shift Up head defends AI-generated Blood Rain video amid Evie backlash

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/shift-up-head-defends-ai-generated-blood-rain-video-amid-evie-backlash/
- Published: 2026-08-04T12:03:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-24T12:01:06+00:00
- Original publisher: PC Gamer
- Original article: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/stellar-blade-boss-completely-misses-the-point-of-why-people-are-upset-with-blood-rains-ai-slop-video-the-ai-is-not-creating-evie-from-scratch/
- Topics: AI, Entertainment, Music, Technology

## Key points

- Shift Up released an entirely AI-generated "Blood Rain" music video starring Stellar Blade's Evie on 31 July 2026 to promote Stellar Blade 2
- Fans criticised visual glitches and the use of AI over artists for finished promotional content, with some threatening to cancel pre-orders
- CEO Kim Hyung-tae defended the video by noting Evie's original design was hand-crafted by artists, but critics said this missed the point of their complaint
- No further statement or removal of the video has been reported since Kim's defence

## Summary

On 31 July 2026, Shift Up published "Blood Rain", a fully AI-generated, K-pop-style music video on its YouTube channel to promote the forthcoming Stellar Blade 2. The video features protagonist Evie singing and dancing to a track titled "Wanna Be in Love", with the character, backgrounds and animation generated by artificial intelligence rather than hand-crafted by the studio's artists, marking a departure from the marketing approach used for the original game. The release quickly drew criticism from fans, who pointed to visual flaws such as duplicated figures, inconsistent facial features and garbled on-screen text, alongside broader unease that using AI for finished promotional material risked tarnishing the brand and undermining the credibility of the studio's genuinely hand-made artwork. Some commentators also noted threats to cancel pre-orders for the sequel. The backlash followed an earlier controversy in June 2026 over changes to Evie's design and posing at her Summer Game Fest reveal, which had already left some fans wary of the studio's creative direction.

Shift Up chief executive Kim Hyung-tae responded to the criticism on X (formerly Twitter), defending the video on the grounds that the AI was not generating Evie "from scratch". He said the character "was created from head to toe by our talented artists and modelers through more than a year of dedicated work", and that the AI tool had simply rendered and presented her using the data, designs and craftsmanship the team had already produced. PC Gamer and other outlets argued this response missed the substance of fans' complaints, which centred not on doubts about Evie's originally human-made design but on the quality and appropriateness of using AI to generate the finished promotional video itself. Kim has previously argued that AI tools help Shift Up, a studio of roughly 150 staff, compete with much larger Chinese rivals fielding thousands of developers. As of the latest reporting, Shift Up had not withdrawn the video or issued any further clarifying statement beyond Kim's initial defence.

## Coverage

- [PC Gamer: Shift Up head defends AI-generated Blood Rain video amid Evie backlash](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/stellar-blade-boss-completely-misses-the-point-of-why-people-are-upset-with-blood-rains-ai-slop-video-the-ai-is-not-creating-evie-from-scratch/)
- [GamesRadar+: Stellar Blade: Blood Rain studio CEO defends AI music video because Evie was originally "created from head to toe" by the devs, but fans say that's not the point](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/action/stellar-blade-blood-rain-studio-ceo-defends-ai-music-video-because-evie-was-originally-created-from-head-to-toe-by-the-devs-but-fans-say-thats-not-the-point/)
- [Yahoo Entertainment: Shift Up CEO defends AI-generated Stellar Blade Blood Rain video](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/shift-ceo-defends-stellar-blade-181342090.html)
- [IGN India: Stellar Blade Blood Rain dev Shift Up releases entirely AI-generated K-pop music video starring Evie](https://in.ign.com/stellar-blade-2/267735/stellar-blade-blood-rain-dev-shift-up-releases-entirely-ai-generated-k-pop-music-video-starring-evie)
- [Indiatimes: Stellar Blade Blood Rain music video sparks AI slop backlash](https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/stellar-blade-blood-rain-music-video-sparks-ai-slop-backlash-fans-slam-shift-up-for-strange-visuals-and-falling-quality-standards/articleshow/132834969.html)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.