Stellar Blade developer Shift Up expects the forthcoming PC release of its action game to exceed sales of the console release.
As part of its latest financial report, the company was asked about the expected results of Stellar Blade on PC, where it noted the “higher market share” for PC over consoles. It follows similar comments from its previous financial report.
“In the AAA game market, PC devices have a higher market share than consoles, so we expect the performance of the PC version to exceed that of the console version,” the company said. “We are particularly observing trends such as the significant expansion of the single-player action game market in the Asian gaming industry.”
That “significant expansion” is presumably due to the success of Black Myth: Wukong.
The company is analysing the market for comparison and also promised an optimised experience, even on Steam Deck.
“We have identified and analysed both successful and underperforming cases of console exclusives released on PC, and we are preparing to release the game in a way that ensures continued success in the PC market,” the company continued.
“This will include optimisation, enhancing user convenience, adding supplementary content, and tailored marketing strategies unique to Shift Up. In particular, we plan to optimise the game to ensure smooth gameplay even in UMPC (Steam Deck) environments.”
The release of Stellar Blade on PC, expected at some point this year, will follow other PlayStation exclusives like God of War, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and most recently Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
However, these releases have seen diminishing returns in terms of player numbers. Helldivers 2 remains Sony’s biggest success on PC, released simultaneously across PC and console.
Other companies are also looking at PC releases of console games. Square Enix in particular has launched a multiplatform strategy, with the likes of Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth both released on PC in the last year following PS5 exclusivity.
Earlier this week, meanwhile, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick teased a possible PC release for GTA 6, though Rockstar is officially focused on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S for launch.
While Shift Up didn’t reveal further sales figures for Stellar Blade, it previously announced it had sold over a million copies in its first couple of months. As a result, Shift Up has now recorded its highest annual revenue with a 30 percent year-on-year increase.
“Despite being a narrative-based single-player game with a defined ending, it has been continuously updated like a live-service game, and has steadily built a strong global fandom for the Stellar Blade IP,” the company said.
The game received a PS5 Pro patch in time for the new console’s release, which Digital Foundry described as a “hugely effective upgrade”.
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