Shift Up, the studio behind PS5’s critically acclaimed Stellar Blade, has once again gift its staff a cash bonus and other items as thanks for their work for the past 12 months.
Staff received $3,400 in addition to an Apple Watch and AirPods Max each, according to a report by Seoul Economic Daily, which totals more than $4,000 each.
Shift Up has previously gifted its staff various cash bonuses and other items in the past. For example, last year it gave its 300 employees a PS5 Pro and a $3,400 has bonus, which it commented was a means of encouraging talent at the studio. The fact it’s been able to keep offering gifts for its staff is also a testament to just how well Stellar Blade has performed commercially. Back in January 2023, Shift Up also gave its workforce iPhone 14, and the year after it awarded its employees prepaid credit cards with a preloaded $6,800.
Back in November last year, Shift Up confirmed in a series of job openings that it is hiring for “Stellar Blade’s next work,” seemingly confirming a sequel is in the pipeline.
Stellar Blade was released for the PS5 in April 2024 and hit the PC in June 2025. On Steam, Stellar Blade achieved more than 100,000 concurrent users, making it one of the most successful PlayStation to PC ports released to date. Shift Up revealed in June 2025 that the game has sold more than three million copies across both formats.
[Source – Seoul Economic Daily via VGC]