{"rewrite":{"id":"r_ceb311b60ad9d49030c2d584","clusterId":"c_385b11371eed9be648a71181","slug":"kim-hyung-tae-s-path-from-manga-dreamer-to-shift-up-founder","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Kim Hyung-tae's Path From Manga Dreamer to SHIFT UP Founder","summary":"Game Spark traces Kim Hyung-tae's career from a boy who dreamed of being a manga artist to the founder of SHIFT UP and director of Stellar Blade. The profile covers his early rejection, his work on Magna Carta and Blade \u0026 Soul, and his decision to leave NCsoft to found SHIFT UP in 2013.","whyItMatters":"The profile explains how Kim's early ambition to draw manga, shaped by Japanese influences like Gunnm, led him through illustration, art direction, and finally to running a company that made its console debut with Stellar Blade.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eKim Hyung-tae was born in 1978 and spent his childhood drawing, even sketching subway wheels and straps. He entered Chung-Ang University in 1996 to study visual design, but a self-made manga drawn with a felt-tip pen won a public contest, and he took a leave of absence to pursue comics. His violent school-themed work ran into censorship, so he turned to computer graphics.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe joined MANTRA in 1997, then SOFTMAX in 1998 after an initial rejection. His work on the Magna Carta series built an overseas following, and his art book OXIDE drew attention. At NCsoft he served as art director on Blade \u0026amp; Soul, a project that took about seven years. In December 2013 he founded SHIFT UP, starting with the mobile game Destiny Child.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Game Spark profiles Kim Hyung-tae, from manga dreamer to SHIFT UP founder. His path: censorship, Magna Carta, Blade \u0026 Soul, then founding SHIFT UP in 2013. Stellar Blade carries his 30-year style.","twitterPost":"Kim Hyung-tae's career: manga dreamer, censored, then Magna Carta and Blade \u0026 Soul. He founded SHIFT UP in 2013. Stellar Blade is his console debut.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Game Spark traces Kim Hyung-tae's career from a boy who wanted to draw manga to the founder of SHIFT UP. The profile covers his early rejection, his work on Magna Carta and Blade \u0026 Soul, and his decision to leave NCsoft to found SHIFT UP in 2013.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/16/170752.html\",\"title\":\"『Stellar Blade』『NIKKE』を生んだキム・ヒョンテ氏の半生を辿る。漫画家志望の少年はいかにして上場企業の代表になったのか\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":6258,"outputTokens":619,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786837789,"createdAt":"2026-08-15T23:42:47.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-15T23:46:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-15T23:42:47.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_385b11371eed9be648a71181","canonicalTitle":"『Stellar Blade』『NIKKE』を生んだキム・ヒョンテ氏の半生を辿る。漫画家志望の少年はいかにして上場企業の代表になったのか","representativeArticleId":"a_e57076d23c91115d9854c290","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Stellar Blade\",\"NIKKE\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Kim Hyung-tae\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-15T23:00:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-15T23:00:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-15T23:46:44.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/16/170752.html","title":"『Stellar Blade』『NIKKE』を生んだキム・ヒョンテ氏の半生を辿る。漫画家志望の少年はいかにして上場企業の代表になったのか"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Stellar Blade","NIKKE"],"studios":[],"people":["Kim Hyung-tae"],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}