Shinji Mikami's new studio Unbound acquired by ShiftUp, Korean publisher to fund new 'fairly large game'

ShiftUp, the devs behind PlayStation hit Stellar Blade, are working directly with horror maven Shinji Mikami on a new game project.

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The rumors were true: ShiftUp and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami have joined forces. ShiftUp, headquartered in Korea, has acquired Shinji Mikami's Japanese studio Unbound and will help fund and publish new projects, including Mikami's first game.

Mikami says that the new project is a sizable game, but won't offer specifics: "For the first time in a while, I'll be fully involved on-site to work on a fairly large game, and I'm really looking forward to it."

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A concept art tease offers some clues on what Unbound is working on, and one fan speculates that the art depicts the fearsome Naytiba monsters from Stellar Blade's lore. This could mean that Unbound is working on a horror-themed Stellar Blade prequel of sorts.

However, earlier reports point to Unbound working on a never-before-seen IP.

Unbound is actually a sizable part of ShiftUp. The press release confirms that Unbound will work on multiple projects at once, including smaller-scale "experimental" games alongside the big project that was teased in concept art.

UNBOUND runs on parallel development: smaller, experimental titles alongside a large-scale flagship, so neither ambition nor risk-taking ever gets sacrificed to the other.

ShiftUp has given Mikami and his team lots of liberties and freedom, with the studio head promising that devs won't be afflicted by harsh crunch.

"At Unbound, we have many talented creators, and those creators are not constrained by pressure or strict company orders. We keep rules to a minimum and create an environment that allows our creators to design the best games possible," Mikami said.

ShiftUp founder Kim Hyung Tae shared the news on Twitter, saying that he's a huge fan of Mikami and that it's a big honor to work with the creator of Resident Evil. This bodes extremely well for Unbound's leader and team:

It is a profound honor to work alongside the top-tier creative team at Unbound.

I am deeply moved to support the visionaries behind the legendary games I've cherished my whole life, especially a project directed by Shinji Mikami himself. We are currently preparing a diverse lineup-from massive blockbusters that will shock the world to experimental projects fueled by brilliant, sparkling ideas. Please look forward to what's coming!