The reveal trailer and key art for Stellar Blade: Blood Rain – the follow-up to Shift Up‘s breakout PS5 hit – are facing accusations of containing significant generative AI elements, with fans identifying fake Chinese characters in in-world signage that don’t correspond to any real language, as well as nonsensical architectural details in the key art, as reported by Push Square. The accusations land with extra weight given that studio boss Hyung Tae-Kim recently made headlines for saying AI can empower “one person [to] perform the work of 100 people” – framing this as a company philosophy issue rather than a one-off visual glitch.
Here’s the context: Stellar Blade launched on PS5 in 2024 and came to PC in 2025, becoming one of the standout exclusives in PlayStation‘s recent portfolio – you can see how Sony has leaned on its showcase strategy to elevate titles like this in our coverage of the June 2026 State of Play. Blood Rain is the first major follow-up, introducing a new protagonist named Evie and moving the setting partially to Chongqing, China – a city Shift Up physically visited to gather reference photography. The trailer was captured entirely in-game on PC from an early build, and the game is presumed to be several years from release. Crucially, the original Stellar Blade contained zero generative AI according to reporting on the subject, which makes the apparent presence of it in Blood Rain‘s reveal materials a notable shift. Shift Up is also understood to be self-publishing this instalment rather than going through Sony Interactive Entertainment, which changes the oversight dynamic compared to the first game – worth keeping in mind as Sony’s exclusive strategy continues to evolve.
Honestly, the evidence here is hard to wave away. The fake Chinese characters spotted by Chinese-language players aren’t a subtle compression artefact or an easy misread – they’re characters that simply do not exist, a textbook tell for AI-generated text rendering that lacks any grounding in actual language datasets. Twitter observer Daniel Camilo put it plainly, noting that “some of the ‘Chinese writing’ is very visibly AI slop” while speculating these are likely placeholders. That’s a reasonable read given the early development stage, but it doesn’t make the images less real. Another observer, BX, called it a “nice AI-assisted trailer, maybe heavily assisted but polished afterwards” – which is probably the most accurate description of what’s actually being alleged here. Nobody is claiming the whole game is machine-generated; the accusation is that AI was used to fill in early concept and promotional visuals rather than committing artist hours to material that might change anyway. That’s a defensible workflow choice in isolation, but Hyung Tae-Kim‘s “one person performing the work of 100” quote makes it impossible to treat this as a neutral production decision – it reads as a stated strategy, not an emergency shortcut. Shift Up built its reputation on extraordinary hand-crafted artistry; leaning on generative tools for the first public-facing reveal of its most anticipated sequel is a strange way to honour that legacy.
What remains unclear is whether Shift Up or any representative has officially responded to the accusations – no formal statement had been issued at time of writing. It’s also unconfirmed whether the AI-generated elements extend into the game build itself or are limited to promotional assets, which would be a meaningful distinction. Beyond that, the question of whether Sony has any involvement in or visibility over the marketing materials for a self-published title remains open, and it’s worth watching whether the studio quietly updates the key art or addresses the signage issue directly in a future developer update.
Does the presence of apparent AI-generated assets in Blood Rain‘s reveal trailer change your excitement for the game, or are you willing to give Shift Up the benefit of the doubt given how early in development it is? And more broadly, do you think studios should be upfront about using generative AI in promotional materials even when the final game might look completely different? Sound off in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more Stellar Blade and AI in gaming coverage.
