GamesAction RpgStellar BladePlayStation pulls Stellar Blade demo off consoles after the RPG was accidentally made available, in a move it didn’t even make for P.T.When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesAction RpgStellar BladePlayStation pulls Stellar Blade demo off consoles after the RPG was accidentally made available, in a move it didn’t even make for P.T.When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Sony)

The Stellar Blade demo was quietly added and then swiftly deleted from the PS5 PlayStation Store earlier today, withSonyredacting access for users who downloaded it.
Stellar Blade is the action-roleplaying game featuringslick actionand an already loveable protagonist, coming exclusively to PS5 on April 26. Neither Sony nor developer Shift Up had announced or advertised a demo before it went live earlier today, but less than an hour after the free trial’s publication, it was quickly removed with no comment from either company.
seems like they pulled the Stellar Blade demo https://t.co/sOrcFcLhin pic.twitter.com/MxbHGHIqGHMarch 8, 2024
seems like they pulled the Stellar Blade demo https://t.co/sOrcFcLhin pic.twitter.com/MxbHGHIqGHMarch 8, 2024
It’s unclear if the demo went live earlier than planned or if it was removed because of an unexpected bug - but either way, it shows that game preservation can’t truly be trusted in the hands of the big, big publishers who reserve the right to simply delete a digital copy from existence.
Twitterer ScrewyClassicsaid: “I do think it’s unnerving that they’ve shown they can just rip the digital license for anything right out of your hands.” Meanwhile, Digital Foundry’s John Linnemansaidcompanies' ability to “disable any license at any time for any reason” is “highly concerning” because there’s “not much you can do about it.” Digital ownership doesn’t really exist, I guess.
Countless video games have been lost to time due to weird legal shenanigans and other nebulous reasons. Warner Brother Discovery recently extended its film policy (deleting completed projects for tax cuts) to its video game division, as it gears up toscrub dozens of indie games off of storefronts. Cult classic shooterSpec Ops: The Line was also made unavailable for purchaseearlier this year due to the expiration of “partnership licenses” that won’t be extended. But Stellar Blade is still on course for a full release next month.
Stellar Blade’s director said it was a great honor for the game to draw the “Korean Nier” comparisons.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”