Shift Up defended Blood Rain’s AI video, but fans still question the point
CEO Kim Hyung Tae said artists and modelers spent more than a year creating Evie before AI was used to render and present her in the promotional clip.
Shift Up CEO Kim Hyung Tae defended the use of AI in a promotional music video for upcoming Stellar Blade: Blood Rain on July 31, 2026. He said Evie was created by human artists and modelers after more than a year of work.
The clip, made for the song Wanna Be In Love, placed Evie at the center of an AI-assisted performance instead of showing gameplay. The controversy began with Shift Up’s reveal of an AI music video for Evie, which quickly divided the game’s audience.
Kim’s response focused on Evie’s origin. He said the character was “created from head to toe” by the studio’s artists and modelers through more than a year of dedicated work. “The AI is not creating her from scratch,” he added, describing the process as rendering and presenting Evie using the team’s data, designs, and craftsmanship.
EVIE, the character at the heart of this video, was created from head to toe by our talented artists and modelers through more than a year of dedicated work.
The AI is not creating her from scratch. It is rendering and presenting the character based on the data, designs, and…
— Kim Hyung Tae, 김형태, キム・ヒョンテ (@jamm3rd) July 31, 2026
Why fans are still objecting
The explanation addresses who made Evie, but critics are focused on how the finished promotional material was produced. One fan wrote on X, “If this is your defense then you’re not getting it,” adding that nobody was disputing the artists’ work on the character. The criticism was aimed at using AI as a shortcut to create content featuring her.
The finished video has also drawn criticism for apparent visual artifacts. Evie’s suit appears to change or lose pieces between shots, while food has a gooey, artifacted look and signs and vending machines contain garbled text. Those details make the presentation look unfinished to viewers, separate from the question of who designed Evie.
The audio has prompted similar concerns. The song’s high notes and vocals sound heavily computerized, and the track was generated with AI despite Shift Up having composers working on its games.
That leaves two separate issues in the discussion. Shift Up’s message gives credit to the people who designed and modeled Evie. It does not change the fact that AI was used in the final music video, which is the choice many fans are challenging.
Kim asked viewers to see Wanna Be In Love as a combination of human creativity and AI presentation. For critics, that framing does not answer their concerns about labor, artistic ownership, or how studio resources are being spent on AI-assisted content. The statement adds context about Evie’s creation, but it has not settled the disagreement around the video.
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Stellar Blade: Blood Rain
Developed by SHIFT UP
