Watching Taxi Driver’s Protest Against Self Driving Cars Helped Hyung-Tae Kim Come up With Stellar Blade and Eve

PlayStation’s Stellar Blade is just around the corner. As Shift Up makes the big shift, from creating superhit mobile titles in the past to making their first-ever console title, all eyes are on how the title will perform.

So far judging by the looks of it, the trailers and snippets have managed to get the community excited about the upcoming game. One of the factors that have created the hype is the lore and the futuristic setting of the game.

Taxi driver’s Protest Inspired Stellar Blade

In an interview with PlayStation, Stellar Blade director, Hyung-Tae Kim revealed the inspiration behind the title which hits PlayStation 5 consoles on April 26, 2023. Kim was asked to elaborate on the concept and theme of Stellar Blade. To this he says,

“The theme I dedicated to Stellar Blade is humanity. The story is about what makes us human and defines us as human–it’s quite universal. The story came to my mind one day as I witnessed taxi drivers on strike.”

Kim further shares how something so simple as a taxi driver’s strike inspired a sci-fi action-adventure game,

“The strike erupted when technologies for self-driving cars began advancing, almost hinting at the implementation of autonomous cars in the near future. This instilled fear among taxi drivers that these technologies would eventually take over and replace their jobs. As I watched them on strike, I asked myself what I would do if this were to happen to me, if one day humans were entirely replaced by something non-human. This is where the theme for Stellar Blade originates.”

That being said, Kim also clarifies that nevertheless, the game’s focus is not on that. The developers team tried to create an action-adventure game keeping the theme in mind so that players can enjoy Eve’s story.

What is the main plot of Stellar Blade?

During the interview, Kim also shed light on the primary plot of Stellar Blade. He shares that they designed the game in such a way that the backstory behind the desolation of Earth will reveal itself as the game progresses.

He says,

“The story begins at the point in time after Earth was ravaged by mysterious creatures called Naytiba, leading the decimated human race to flee to an outer space colony. Feeling defeated and tired of life in space, humans decide to battle Naytiba to reclaim their motherland.”

He also adds that the players will gradually discover the backstory as they progress in the game, and what role Eve will play in this saying,

“Players will learn the backstory and the incidents in between as they progress through the game. After discovering the truth, Eve will be faced with a decision and what she chooses is in the players’ hands.”

Kim also explained that initially in the game no one knows what the Naytibas are, where they came from, or even what they exactly want. And that is where Eve comes in, “to uncover the mystery surrounding these unknown creatures.”

Going by Kim’s words, it is safe to say that Stellar Blade‘s theme is just another example of the fact that inspiration can come from anywhere. Nonetheless, the game does look interesting and promises some nail-biting moments in the playthrough for fans.