Shift-Up promotes Stellar Blade 2 with AI-generated KPop music video featuring the game’s main character

Developer Shift-Up released an AI-generated K-pop music video on July 31 to promote the upcoming action game Stellar Blade: Blood Rain. The video, titled “Wanna be in Love,” features the game’s protagonist Evie singing an original song as she explores a futuristic cyberpunk city setting from the game. The three-minute-plus production includes a mock “behind the scenes” segment showing Shift-Up development staff interacting with the AI-generated character. The studio disclosed in the video’s description that “sounds or visuals were altered or fully generated,” confirming its use of generative AI.

However, the release sparked significant backlash across social media and gaming outlets, with widespread criticism calling it “AI slop.” Critics identified numerous technical issues, including poorly synchronized lip-syncing, visual inaccuracies, unexplained facial changes, and an overall uncanny aesthetic that some compared to low-quality AI advertisements on YouTube. Gaming outlets described the video as lacking artistry and appearing soulless, questioning why the developer would opt for AI generation rather than traditional production methods.

The response reflects broader gaming community concerns about AI-generated content from major studios. Shift-Up, already known for occasional controversy, faced sharp criticism that tempered fan excitement for an otherwise highly anticipated sequel.

Shift-Up promotes Stellar Blade 2 with AI-generated KPop music video featuring the game’s main character

Sources