Stellar Blade: Blood Rain Reveal — New Hero Evie and SHIFT UP Self-Publishing

SHIFT UP has revealed Stellar Blade: Blood Rain, a direct sequel to its 2024 action game. The reveal arrived during Summer Game Fest 2026, with an announcement trailer posted to the studio's official channels. It is built by the original development team and set in the same universe, picking up the story after the ending of the first game.

Quick answer: Blood Rain is a confirmed sequel to Stellar Blade with a new protagonist named Evie. It is self-published by SHIFT UP, currently in early development, with no platforms or release date announced.

What Stellar Blade: Blood Rain is

Blood Rain is described by SHIFT UP as the next chapter in the franchise. It continues the narrative beyond the events of the original and expands the world in what the studio calls a bold new direction. The team has stated it is focused on evolving the stylish action, world-building, and core elements that defined the first game.

The project is still in early development. SHIFT UP says it will share more details when ready, so much of the game beyond the trailer and the studio's overview remains unannounced.

Image credit: SHIFT UP

Evie, the new protagonist and her combat style

The sequel stars a new lead character named Evie, replacing the original protagonist Eve. SHIFT UP confirmed Evie's name through its official YouTube channel.

The two characters fight differently. Eve centered on sword-based combat, while Evie primarily uses gauntlet-based brawling in the trailer. Near the end of the footage, Evie is also shown handling what looks like a reverse-grip blade, pointing to more than one combat approach.

The trailer opens with a steam locomotive moving through rain-slicked city streets. The calm does not last. Citizens transform into naytiba, the monsters established in the first game, which leads directly into intense combat sequences.

Platforms, publishing, and release date

The most concrete shift with this entry is on the business side. The original launched as a PS5 exclusive published by Sony. For Blood Rain, SHIFT UP is handling publishing in-house.

Platforms and a release date have not been confirmed. The move to self-publishing, combined with strong PC sales of the original, has fueled industry speculation about a possible simultaneous release across PS5, PC, and Xbox. That remains speculation, and no official platform list exists yet.

Image credit: SHIFT UP

What the developers have said

Kim Hyung-tae, General Director of Blood Rain, framed the reveal as a response to fans of the original. He said the team is excited to present the next chapter and is concentrating its early-stage work on advancing the action, world-building, and core elements players responded to.

SHIFT UP has indicated that further details, including release platforms and schedules, will follow at a later date.

For now, Blood Rain is confirmed as a story-continuing sequel with Evie at its center and a new self-publishing model behind it. The combat shift toward gauntlets and a reverse-grip blade marks the clearest gameplay change so far, but anything beyond the announcement trailer, including when and where you can play it, is still to come.