Shift Up CEO Responds to Stellar Blade: Blood Rain AI Music Video Controversy

A new controversy has emerged in the gaming industry after developer Shift Up released the music video for “Wanna Be In Love” to promote Stellar Blade: Blood Rain. The video quickly drew criticism from fans after it became apparent that AI technology had been used during its production. The decision sparked widespread backlash across social media, as the use of AI-generated artwork continues to be a sensitive issue among many players.

Following the wave of criticism, Shift Up CEO Kim Hyung Tae took to X to address the controversy. He explained that the video’s main character, Evie, was not created entirely by AI. Instead, the character was carefully designed and modeled by the studio’s artists and 3D modelers over the course of more than a year before those assets were processed using AI technology.

According to Kim, Shift Up appears to have developed its own internal AI tool for the project. The studio first fed the AI with character data and creative assets produced by its development team, allowing the system to process those materials into the final music video. This type of AI-assisted production has become increasingly common among game developers and publishers looking to integrate artificial intelligence into their internal production pipelines.

Kim Hyung Tae also encouraged fans to view the music video as a collaboration between human creativity and AI technology, expressing hope that players would understand the team’s intention to experiment with new production methods. However, his explanation has done little to change the minds of many disappointed fans.

Many users on X responded by saying that the statement missed the point entirely. They clarified that their criticism was never about whether the character itself had been designed by human artists. Instead, their main concern was Shift Up’s decision to rely on AI to generate the music video rather than having the studio’s creative team produce the final work entirely by hand.

The situation is not entirely unexpected, however. Kim Hyung Tae has previously stated that AI technology will be essential for the future growth of South Korea’s game industry. As a result, fans may continue to see future Shift Up projects incorporating AI-generated elements in one form or another.

 Origin: Gamesradar