Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has acquired Unbound Inc, the new studio formed by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, with big development plans.
The announcement came from SHIFT UP (CEO Hyung-Tae Kim), and he announced that their publishing unit has completed the acquisition of Japanese game developer UNBOUND Inc. by acquiring all of its shares. Shinji Mikami made headlines in 2024 when he decided to start a new studio, KAMUY, and leave the survival horror genre behind.
Before that, however, he started UNBOUND, a studio that describes itself as a “fully independent company” that is “developing AAA titles and original IP” for consoles and PC. While it’s unclear if UNBOUND and KAMUY are related, it’s clear that the one Mikami currently heads is the studio that has been acquired by SHIFT UP, UNBOUND. They sealed their partnership with a new video and it can be seen below.
SHIFT UP’s CEO Hyung-Tae Kim said, “I find it deeply meaningful to join forces with UNBOUND, which brings together a world-class development team led by CEO Shinji Mikami,” adding, “This acquisition will serve as an opportunity to deliver the best gaming experience to users worldwide and further solidify SHIFT UP’s global development competitiveness.”
Shinji Mikami echoed the sentiment, stating, “I am very pleased to be partnering with SHIFT UP CEO Hyung-Tae Kim and all the employees,” adding, “I sense strong synergy with CEO Kim, who is also an active creator, and I believe this is an ideal partnership that allows us to focus on creativity. We will do our best to create fun games so that both companies, working as one, can meet our fans’ expectations.” It appears both parties are completely on board with the new partnership, and they want to meet fans’ expectations with solid, new experiences in video games.
While the new partnership is one day old, nothing along the lines of a release title has been announced yet. But, if Shinji Mikami has his way, their new development will likely not be a survival horror title.
