Stellar Blade developer Shift Up acquires Shinji Mikami’s new studio

South Korean developer Shift Up has acquired Unbound, a new studio founded by industry veteran Shinji Mikami.

Shift Up said the acquisition will “strengthen its global PC and console publishing capabilities with Unbound’s upcoming titles.”

In an announcement video, Mikami shared that Unbound is developing a “fairly large game” and aims to “create a masterpiece.”

“I’ve come to see my vision and ideals more clearly, and I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation where, as a creator, our wavelengths and direction align this closely,” said Mikami.

“So, for as long as my career continues, I would like to keep working together. For the first time in a while, I’ll be fully involved on-site to work on a fairly large game, and I’m looking forward to it. To all the gamers waiting for this, I hope you can wait a little longer for its release.”

As part of the acquisition, Shift Up will publish Unbound’s upcoming titles and support the studio in building “its own global service capabilities.”

“I find it deeply meaningful to join forces with Unbound, which brings together a world-class development team led by Shinji Mikami,” said Shift Up CEO Hyung-Tae Kim.

“This acquisition will serve as an opportunity to deliver the best gaming experience to users worldwide and further solidify Shift Up’s global development competitiveness.”

Mikami added: “I am very pleased to be partnering with Hyung-Tae Kim and all the employees. I sense strong synergy with Kim, who is also an active creator, and I believe this is an ideal partnership that allows us to focus on creativity. We will do our best to create fun games so that both companies, working as one, can meet our fans’ expectations.”

Reports of Mikami forming a new studio began circulating last month, although Unbound’s website had been live for some time. The developer was founded in 2022 and began operations in 2023.

Mikami also established another studio, Kamuy, in 2024 after leaving Tango Gameworks in February 2023.