Summary
The download size ofStellar Blademay be in the ballpark of 35GB, as suggested by one newly emerged leak. Although the source of the claim seems to be a prematurely revealed official estimate, that’s quite a modest figure for a contemporary AAA game, to the point that some fans have already expressed skepticism about whetherStellar Bladecould truly end up being so small.
Software install sizes have gotten bulkier over the years, with video games being no exception to that trend. The steady increase in standard display resolutions and content expectations, among other factors, has led to the gaming industry consistently putting out bigger and bigger downloads. As far as Sony’s latest console is concerned, thelargest PS5 games by file sizesrange from the 99GBHorizon Forbidden Westto the absolutely humongousCall Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which requires over 312GB of storage space.
Stellar Blade May Boast Stellar File Compression
The PlayStation 5 exclusiveStellar Bladeshould be a far cry from those figures, according to its Japanese retail box which surfaced online over the final weekend of February. The packaging, shared by Twitter user Genki_JPN, states that the game requires “more than 35GB” of free storage space to install. That notice is ostensibly a rough estimate, as the game itself is still some two months out, slated for release on April 26. But even ifStellar Bladeends up warranting a larger install size than what its box suggests, this development is a fairly strong indicator that the game will be much more compact than a typical AAA release, like the145GBFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthscheduled to hit the market in late February.
Fan reactions to this leak seem somewhat divided; some people interpreted the notice as a sign thatStellar Bladewould have stellar file compression, while others expressed doubts about the feasibility of a modern AAA experience with high-fidelity graphics coming in such a small package.
Some fans speculated that the download size estimate could point to the game being a relatively short experience, but that shouldn’t be the case when considering Shift Up’s past statements on the matter. The most recent one comes from late 2023, when the developer reflected onStellar Blade’s latest delay. The occasion saw the game’s director, Kim Hyung Tae, state thatStellar Bladewould take between 25 and 50 hours to complete, depending on how thorough the player is.
Between that andStellar Blade’s impressive graphics, the upcoming title looks like it could easily weigh twice as much as its box states it will. Delivering anything close to the 35GB file size mentioned on the leaked packaging would ostensibly require Shift Up to either raise the bar for AAA game compression, employ some immensely clever asset reuse, or do both.
Stellar Blade
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RECLAIM EARTH FOR HUMANKIND The future of humanity hangs in the balance in Stellar Blade, an all-new story-driven action adventure. Ravaged by strange, powerful creatures, Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of the decimated human race has fled to a Colony in outer space. After travelling from the Colony, 7th Airborne Squad member EVE arrives on the desolate remains of our planet with a clear-cut mission: to save humankind by reclaiming Earth from the Naytiba – the malevolent force that has devastated it. But as EVE tackles the Naytiba one-by-one, piecing together the mysteries of the past in the ruins of human civilization, she realizes that her mission is far from straightforward. In fact, almost nothing is as it seems…
