Shift Up is bringing together its two flagship titles—Goddess of Victory: Nikke and Stellar Blade—for a special cross-collaboration event timed to coincide with the PC launch of Stellar Blade on June 12. This marks the studio’s first-ever internal crossover, and both games will feature more than just character skins: streamlined mini-games that adapt each other’s combat mechanics, brand-new characters and costumes, and exclusive boss encounters.

Because this collaboration carries significant weight, CEO Kim Hyung-tae and Nikke Director Yoo Hyung-seok both admitted they felt pressure throughout development—but also highlighted how much each team learned from working together.

Kim Hyung-tae reflected on the timing of the crossover, noting that unveiling it just over a year after Stellar Blade’s original release was particularly poignant. He explained that Nikke collaborations are treated as a core quarter’s major content drop, which means internal quality benchmarks are exceptionally strict, and the studio must ensure players are genuinely impressed. He added that the overwhelmingly positive feedback on Stellar Blade gave the teams the confidence to move forward, and that they’ve prepared a wide array of new features for fans to enjoy.

He went on to describe how a shift in Stellar Blade’s PC development schedule opened up the opportunity for more integrated planning. Instead of a simple cooperation, the teams expanded the crossover into a unified content suite. In addition to narrative content, the collaboration includes enhanced combat scenarios. Kim emphasized that this isn’t just another studio borrowing Nikke’s battle system; rather, it serves as a statement that any game aiming to deliver Nikke-style combat must meet this level of polish.

Yoo Hyung-seok acknowledged the importance of internal collaboration and said the Nikke team poured tremendous care into preparing their contributions. He expressed high expectations both for the specific content they’ll reveal and for the community’s reaction.

Watching the Stellar Blade team bring their work to life impressed him so much that he felt Nikke would need to rise to the occasion. In response, his team committed to matching that passion with equal sincerity, and they’re still hard at work refining their side of the crossover.

This story-driven event centers on Eve, Adam, and Lily, who land on Nikke’s surface, meet various Nikke characters and NPCs, and explore intertwining narratives that highlight memory, the shared theme of both games. The storyline was written to fuse the post-apocalyptic universes of Nikke and Stellar Blade seamlessly.

The crossover also features a boss fight built around Stellar Blade’s exosuit Providence rather than the usual Gatekeeper, offering a distinct challenge for players. Conversely, Nikke fans can look forward to a mini-game that allows them to experience Stellar Blade’s mechanics firsthand. Yoo noted that when he first read the crossover script, he sensed the same nuanced tone as the NieR: Automata event, yet felt both Nikke’s and Stellar Blade’s unique atmospheres shine through. He pointed out that the way NPC interactions blend the emotional textures of both worlds is especially compelling.