Shift Up considers Stellar Blade a successful launch and claims its sales have surpassed 1 million copies worldwide over the past two months.Per Game World Observer and GameMeca, the South Korean studio held a recent press conference for its future IPO. During the conference, CFO Ahn Jae-woo noted the PlayStation 5 exclusive's "smooth" launch.Sony has yet to comment on Stellar Blade's commercial performance, which may cause some discrepancies with Shift Up's numbers. But in May, the studio claimed the game "exceeded expectations," and other developers (namely Koei Tecmo) have also been open about the launches of their recent games.Shift Up further claimed Stellar Blade made 22 billion won (or 15.8 million) in royalties from Sony. 15.7 billion won came fro…
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has created an acceleration program specifically for the country's independent games scene.Known as So-Fu (or "create a new wind"), the program provides mentorship and financial support for indie developers. Unlike other initiatives like Screen Australia, which helps its local creators financially, this is more centered on the practical parts of development.As noted by developer Takaaki Ichijo, this marks the first instance of direct support for indie developers from Japan's government. Ichijo is also involved with the program, which he said furthers his dream of "helping [the] rise of Japanese indie game developers."To be eligible, individuals and teams must be of Japanese nationality, or have permanent res…
Screen Australia, the country's federal agency to support its media industry, is investing in games with a pair of funds worth a total of $1.6 million.Spread across 12-15 games in both funds, the money provides "direct funding" for Australian developers. Along with original games budgeted under $500,000, the funds will go to fully new projects and give "additional opportunities" for professional studios.The Games Production Fund grants up to $100,000 towards the development of original games from Australian indies. Supported titles include Oppolyon's Ascending Inferno and Radiobush's Lightroad.Meanwhile, the Emerging Gamemakers Fund provides grants of up to $30,000 towards prototypes or micro-game creation. It went towards projects such as Deficit – The A…