Stellar Blade Creator Says the Game Takes "A Lot of Inspiration" from Alita: Battle Angel

Stellar Blade is coming to PlayStation 5 this month, and there's already been a lot of hype surrounding the game. Last month's demo was very well-received, and it seems the game's sci-fi world is already captivating players. Ahead of launch, Stellar Blade director Kim Hyung Tae discussed the upcoming game with the official PlayStation Blog. The interview touched on several aspects of the game, including different media that inspired it. As Tae notes, there has been no shortage of science-fiction that deals with post-apocalyptic worlds, and that helped to inform the way the developers approached the game's world. 

"People have their own vision of what a post-apocalyptic world is like based on what they've envisioned in their heads or seen in movies and such. I'm sure many players will appreciate and admire the details and attention that went into making the post-apocalyptic world in Stellar Blade vivid and realistic. A younger generation of gamers, on the other hand, will probably find our rendition of the post-apocalyptic world quite novel," said Tae.

Eve: Battle Angel?

Tae's comments prompted PlayStation Blog to ask specifically which movies helped inspire the game's world. Interestingly enough, the director noted that the biggest inspiration was the movie Alita: Battle Angel, as well as the original manga. 

"There are quite a few. However, one of the most inspirational, in terms of theme and design, is the sci-fi manga Gunnm by Yukito Kishiro sensei. It was released as an action film in 2019 under the title Alita: Battle Angel. I'd say I took a lot of inspiration from that movie."

From a design standpoint, it's already easy to see how Alita: Battle Angel inspired Stellar Blade's development! However, it will be interesting to see if players are able to pick out any specific examples when the game launches. Fans of the movie might want to put the PS5 game on their radar and see if it's the kind of thing that would appeal to them! 

Stellar Blade Release Date and Platforms

Stellar Blade will be released April 26th on PlayStation 5. While developer Shift Up is an independent studio, the game is being published by Sony, so players should not expect to see it released on Xbox platforms. Sony has made a habit of bringing a lot of the company's first-party games to PC over the last few years, so it seems like a safe bet we'll see Stellar Blade on Steam at some point. However, Sony tends to avoid releasing games on PC the same day as PS5, preferring that its titles get a period of exclusivity on console first. Helldivers 2 was a rare exception, and fans of PlayStation's first-party games probably shouldn't get used to that sort of thing. If the plan is to eventually bring Stellar Blade to Steam, hopefully Sony won't keep fans on PC waiting too long! 

Are you surprised to hear that Stellar Blade drew inspiration from Alita: Battle Angel? Have you had a chance to check out the game's demo? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!