Kim Hyung-tae (born February 7, 1978)[1] is a South Korean video game developer and business executive. He is the founder of Shift Up, where he is the chairman of the board and chief executive officer (CEO).[2]
In April 2025, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$725 million.[3]
Growing up, Kim enjoyed drawing.[4] He attended Chung-Ang University, majoring in design but dropped out.[1]
Kim began working professionally as an illustrator in 1997 and joined the game company Softmax in 1998.[5] Kim later worked at NCSoft as an art director.[6]
In 2013, Kim founded Shift Up.
Kim served as executive producer on Goddess of Victory: Nikke, which Shift Up released on November 4, 2022. He also served as director on the action-adventure game Stellar Blade, which was released on April 26, 2024.
Shift Up went public on South Korea’s KOSPI in July 2024, raising $320 million.[7][8]
