KOREA WHO
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CEO of Shift Up
Kim Hyung-tae
Former NCSoft Art Director Founds Company, Rises to Wealth with Top 4 Korean Gaming Firm
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Last Updated on Nov 4, 2024
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CEO of Shift Up
Life Summary
Kim Hyung-tae is the CEO of Shift Up, one of South Korea's top four game companies. He is actively expanding the company's game portfolio.
Born on February 7, 1978, Kim initially studied in the Visual Communication Design Department at Chung-Ang University’s College of Arts but eventually dropped out due to an extended leave.
In 1997, he began his career as a professional illustrator at game company Mantra, serving as an industrial technical agent. He later worked at Softmax before moving to NCSoft in 2005, where he served as Art Director (AD) and oversaw the overall design for the MMORPG "Blade & Soul," up to its "Silverfrost Mountains" season.
Kim is known for his distinctive art style, characterized by exaggerated depictions of certain human features.
In 2013, he founded Shift Up. The company entered the gaming business in earnest with the 2016 release of "Destiny Child," a subculture game (styled after Japanese anime) co-developed with Line Games.
In 2022, Shift Up launched the subculture game "Goddess of Victory: Nikke," followed by the action-adventure game "Stellar Blade" in 2024.
Kim is currently focused on the development of the upcoming game "Project Witches" and expanding the service areas and platforms for existing titles.
#KimHyungtae #ShiftUp #GameIndustry #VisualCommunicationDesign #BladeAndSoul #DestinyChild #GoddessOfVictoryNikke #StellarBlade #ProjectWitches #GameDevelopment #ArtDirection
Born on February 7, 1978, Kim initially studied in the Visual Communication Design Department at Chung-Ang University’s College of Arts but eventually dropped out due to an extended leave.
In 1997, he began his career as a professional illustrator at game company Mantra, serving as an industrial technical agent. He later worked at Softmax before moving to NCSoft in 2005, where he served as Art Director (AD) and oversaw the overall design for the MMORPG "Blade & Soul," up to its "Silverfrost Mountains" season.
Kim is known for his distinctive art style, characterized by exaggerated depictions of certain human features.
In 2013, he founded Shift Up. The company entered the gaming business in earnest with the 2016 release of "Destiny Child," a subculture game (styled after Japanese anime) co-developed with Line Games.
In 2022, Shift Up launched the subculture game "Goddess of Victory: Nikke," followed by the action-adventure game "Stellar Blade" in 2024.
Kim is currently focused on the development of the upcoming game "Project Witches" and expanding the service areas and platforms for existing titles.
#KimHyungtae #ShiftUp #GameIndustry #VisualCommunicationDesign #BladeAndSoul #DestinyChild #GoddessOfVictoryNikke #StellarBlade #ProjectWitches #GameDevelopment #ArtDirection