It was previously announced that Shinji Mikami, acclaimed director and producer of the initial Resident Evil titles, had established a new studio named Unbound, dedicated to developing AAA games in Japan. Now, it appears the creators of the successful Stellar Blade, Shift Up, are so keen to see what he will create that they have acquired his studio to support the realization of his next project.
In an official statement released on April Fool’s Day, but confirmed not to be a prank, Hyung-Tae Kim, CEO of Shift Up, and Shinji Mikami expressed their satisfaction with the acquisition, highlighting a strong synergy between the two teams.
Regrettably, no specific details have been shared regarding the game Shinji Mikami and his team at Unbound are currently developing. What is known, however, is that it will be a high-budget AAA title for PC and consoles, slated for global publication by Shift Up once completed. This marks an interesting new venture for Shift Up, as they have not previously acted as a publisher, with their past titles like Stellar Blade and Goddess of Victory: Nikke being distributed by companies such as Sony Interactive Entertainment and Level Infinite, respectively.
It is highly probable that a considerable amount of time will pass before we get a glimpse of this new game. The development cycle for AAA titles is increasingly prolonged, often spanning six years or even more. One can only hope that the Korean team will not compel Mikami to integrate artificial intelligence into his game, given their notable enthusiasm for such technology.
Separately, Shift Up is also engaged in the development of a new game titled Project Spirits and a sequel to Stellar Blade.
