Stellar Blade director 'grew up too poor to afford' a PS1, but when he finally got one in college, Ridge Racer and Final Fantasy inspired him to make games

Stellar Blade Director Kim Hyung-tae was inspired by PS1 classics like Ridge Racer and Final Fantasy to start making games, despite growing up too poor to afford a gaming console.

Stellar Blade director Kim Hyung-tae was inspired to start making games by PS1 classics like Ridge Racer and Final Fantasy after being "too poor" to afford a gaming console as a child.

In PlayStation's latest entry in the 'Stellar Blade - The Journey' video series (timestamped here), Hyung-tae talks about his gaming origins, which apparently began with a PS1 in college and ultimately led to him directing one of PS5's biggest releases of 2024.

"I grew up too poor to afford a gaming console, and only when I became a college student could I finally purchase PS1," he said. "I enjoyed playing games like Ridge Racer and Final Fantasy, and this ignited a strong desire in me to create games like this."

To see Stellar Blade then become one of the hottest new releases of the year, particularly in the PS5 exclusives category, it quite wholesome indeed. 

"In Korea, there are not many opportunities to create console games, so there is a strong desire to make good games for global users. When Stellar Blade is released, I help it becomes an example that South Korean developers can developer a console game."

We still don't know how reviews for Stellar Blade will shake out, but the demo has been pretty popular. Austin's time with the demo left him with a "tentatively good feeling" about the game, while some other folks spent so much time playing it that the developers said they felt a bit "scared" by the response - and rightfully so.

Only time will tell if Stellar Blade joins the ranks of the best PS5 games of all time.