Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has confirmed that Unbound – the new studio founded by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami – is working on multiple titles.
Unbound was founded by Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami in 2022, with an action RPG having been in development at the studio for a while now. And while nothing is actually known about what Mikami and team are making, earlier this year it was announced that Stellar Blade developer Shift Up will be joining forces with Unbound, and is set to publish the studio's debut title – alongside the sequel to Stellar Blade – with the studio describing it as an "acqui-hire deal" in its latest earnings report.
The studio explained the partnership, saying, "Shift Up and Unbound share a strong alignment in strategic direction, and the synergies achievable through collaboration were clear, making the decision to join forces a natural one. We are already collaborating across multiple areas including worldbuilding and creative planning, generating positive outcomes for both parties on the game development front."
Shift Up continued, "Unbound's team of approximately 60 developers – many of whom have experience creating and successfully launching globally recognized IPs – is fully dedicated to bringing new titles to players. With multiple projects currently in development spanning both high-end and mid-scale titles, we expect a sequential rollout of new releases. Details on the titles under development at Unbound will be shared with the market and players progressively over time."
While the sequel to Stellar Blade and Shift Up's "Project Spirits" are set to be revealed within the year, the studio didn't elaborate on when we may be seeing what Unbound is working on. Although, whatever it is, I'm seated, because there's not many in this industry with the resume of Shinji Mikami, and I'm always willing to give a game by the director of God Hand and Vanquish my full attention.
