{"ok":true,"trend":{"id":538500,"platform":"mastodon","region":"global","key":"stellar blade is a success now but once came close to the brink: \"we could only pay salaries for about three months\" shi","title":"Stellar Blade is a success now but once came close to the brink: \"We could only pay salaries for about three months\" Shi","url":"https://social.gamefan.net/@gamewire/117362348898508716","first_seen":"2026-09-30T23:06:07.592826Z","last_seen":"2026-09-30T23:06:07.592826Z","last_rank":8,"peak_rank":8,"last_volume":2,"peak_volume":2,"seen_count":1,"score":0.8946875,"category_hint":"gaming","section":"culture","category":"gaming","summary":"Shift Up CEO Hyung-Tae Kim revealed that Stellar Blade came close to cancellation during development, with the studio able to cover staff salaries for only about three months at one point. Investors doubted the game's commercial prospects before it ultimately became a success. Gamers are reacting to how narrowly the acclaimed action title avoided collapse.","why":"The CEO's candid revelations about the studio's near-financial ruin are circulating widely among gaming communities.","tone":"mixed","entities":["Stellar Blade","Shift Up","Hyung-Tae Kim"],"summarized_at":"2026-09-30T23:08:01.812787Z","meta":{"tag":"videogames","via":"scan","kind":"status","lang":"en","instance":"mastodon.social","tag_uses":553},"nw":null,"promo":null,"kind":null,"importance":null,"hidden":false,"hide_reason":null,"judged_at":null,"title_en":"Stellar Blade nearly collapsed before its success, Shift Up CEO says","section_name":"Culture","category_name":"Gaming","timeline":[{"captured_at":"2026-09-30T23:06:07.592826Z","rank":8,"volume":2}],"posts":[{"platform":"mastodon","url":"https://social.gamefan.net/@gamewire/117362348898508716","author":"gamewire@gamefan.net","title":null,"snippet":"Stellar Blade is a success now but once came close to the brink: \"We could only pay salaries for about three months\" Shift UP CEO Hyung-Tae Kim has spoken about the troubles faced during Stellar Blade's development, including doubts from investors about the game's ability to…","posted_at":"2026-09-30T22:28:43Z","likes":2}],"elsewhere":[],"window":"7d"}}