Shift Up published an AI-generated music video for Stellar Blade: Blood Rain on July 31, and the backlash from players arrived almost immediately.

The video features the game’s lead character, Evie, singing and dancing to an upbeat pop track titled “Wanna be in Love.” Fans argued the AI-generated visuals distort Evie’s established look and undercut the artistry the studio has built its reputation on since the original Stellar Blade’s release.

Shift Up CEO and Stellar Blade director Hyung-tae Kim responded directly to the criticism rather than pulling the video. He said Evie “was created from head to toe by our talented artists and modelers through more than a year of dedicated work,” and argued the AI tool used for the video was not generating the character from scratch. “The AI is not creating her from scratch,” Kim said. “It is rendering and presenting the character based on the data, design, and craftsmanship our team created.”

The explanation did little to calm the backlash. Critics said Kim’s defense missed the core objection, which centered less on where Evie’s design originated and more on using AI to animate and voice the character in a way many felt cheapened the final product. Kim’s decades-long career as a character artist made the reaction especially pointed among longtime fans who had followed his work closely.

The controversy lands against a broader backdrop. Kim has previously described AI as an important competitive tool, telling attendees at a South Korean government-organized “Economic Growth Strategy” briefing that he considers AI essential for South Korean developers competing against larger companies, including those in China, on a global scale.

Shift Up has not announced whether it will remove or revise the video following the criticism. Blood Rain, a prequel focused on Evie’s backstory, remains in development, and the studio has given no indication that the backlash will alter its use of AI tools in future promotional material.