Shift Up’s PlayStation 5 exclusive has proven to be a big hit, judging by the demo stats, and perhaps that’s why the South Korean studio is trying to approach the situation with caution.

The Stellar Blade demo has been available on the PlayStation Store for quite some time. The studio wrote on Twitter that the team is grateful for the love for the game, but they ask that we go easy on the demo for the sake of properly enjoying the full game, as they find it a little scary that some people have spent more than fifty hours on the demo. Anyone who has actually spent that much time with Stellar Blade may want to find all they can in it.

We’re so grateful for your love of our game❤️ To enjoy the main game properly though, please go easy on the demo. 50+ hours of demo play…we’re scared!😱#StellarBlade #PS5 #Trial #ThankYou pic.twitter.com/L8Vyh9AAN5

— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) April 10, 2024

According to market researcher Ampere Analysis, the number of daily active players peaked at 690,000. For context, it’s worth comparing this to the trial version of the last major PlayStation 5 title. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth peaked at 380,000 daily active players. Almost twice as many as Square Enix’s title.

“The hype surrounding Stellar Blade – largely focused on its character models – may have led to inflated interest in the demo, and the conversion rate to paying, launch users may fall short of what we have seen for its competitors. Despite some similarities in genre, style, and therefore potential audience, Stellar Blade and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are very different commercial cases. FFVII Rebirth is based on an established classic with a deep-rooted fandom – and it is a sequel rather than a standalone game. As such, it is unlikely to have attracted as many demo players simply out of curiosity or hype, and conversion is likely to be more predictable and heartfelt in this case. Stellar Blade, on the other hand, is a brand new IP with no pre-existing fandom, making its performance much more difficult to project,” said Louise Wooldrige, research manager for games at Ampere.

Stellar Blade is due for release on PlayStation 5 on April 26.

Source: VGC, Ampere Analysis