Shift Up released a new music video for Stellar Blade: Blood Rain, and the conversation quickly moved away from the song. Players are criticizing the video's use of generative AI and asking why a major game studio chose this style for its new sequel.
The video, titled Wanna Be in Love, follows Blood Rain protagonist Evie through a futuristic city while she sings in front of a microphone. It includes glossy performance shots and scenes that look like behind-the-scenes footage from a live production. Faces change slightly between frames, movement can look stiff, and small details do not always stay consistent.
Those problems are easy to notice in a video built around a human-looking character. Evie is close to the camera for much of the song, so changes in her face or body stand out more than they would in a fast trailer.
What Shift Up Actually Confirmed
The final card in the official music video says it was made with game resources that were regenerated with AI support. Shift Up did not explain which AI tools were used, how much of the video was generated, or whether the music and voice involved the same process.
That limited disclosure has created confusion. Some reports described the entire video as AI-generated, but the studio's own wording only confirms AI support. The visuals give players several reasons to suspect heavy use, yet there is no detailed production breakdown showing what was made by artists, what came from the game, and what was generated.
Korean outlet GameMeca reported that the production reconstructed game resources with AI support. Shift Up also presented staged production images inside the finished video, including a crew gathered around Evie on a city set. Many viewers read those scenes as artificial behind-the-scenes footage rather than proof of a real shoot.
Blood Rain itself is a separate project from the music video. Shift Up announced the game in June as a new entry in the Stellar Blade series. It is in early development, stars a new protagonist named Evie, and will be published by Shift Up instead of Sony. No release date or platform list has been confirmed.
The first Stellar Blade became known for detailed character models, sharp combat animation, and a strong visual identity. Blood Rain's reveal continued that look with a dense city and close-range fighting. Fans comparing those trailers with the music video can see a clear difference in quality. Their concern is not based on the sequel's announced gameplay; it comes from a separate promotional piece released under the same name.
Why Players Are Angry
The strongest criticism is not simply that AI was used. Players are asking why the studio used it for a public video when the result has visible mistakes and a less personal feel than the game's normal trailers. Blood Rain is being introduced as an important expansion of the Stellar Blade series, so fans expected its promotional material to show confidence in the art team and the character.
There is also a wider concern about jobs. Generative AI can produce images quickly, but game artists, animators, editors, performers, and production crews normally handle the work this video imitates. When a company creates fake camera crews and fake production footage, viewers may see cost cutting before they see creativity. That reaction becomes stronger when the company does not explain the process.
Clear credits could have prevented some confusion. A normal production lists the people responsible for direction, animation, music, performance, and editing. The AI-support notice tells viewers that technology was involved without telling them who made the creative decisions. Players are left examining mistakes frame by frame because the official explanation is only one short line at the end.
Shift Up CEO Kim Hyung-tae has previously spoken positively about using AI so studios can compete with larger development teams. Those comments help explain the company's interest in the technology, but they do not answer whether this music video was a good use of it. The criticism is focused on the final result people can watch now.
The video does not prove that Blood Rain's gameplay, character models, or main cinematics are being generated with AI. Shift Up has not made that claim. Treating one promotional video as evidence about the entire game would go beyond what the studio has said.
Players can judge the music video on its own, and many clearly do not like it. Shift Up now has a direct response to consider: fans want better-looking promotional work and a clearer explanation of where AI is being used. Blood Rain is still early enough in development for the studio to show a very different standard when it releases the next proper trailer.
