Kim Hyung-tae (entrepreneur)
Kim Hyung-tae | |
|---|---|
김형태 | |
| Born | February 7, 1978 |
| Education |
|
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Title | Chairman and CEO of Shift Up |
Kim Hyung-tae (Korean: 김형태; 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]
Early life and education
Growing up, Kim enjoyed drawing.[4] He attended Chung-Ang University, majoring in design but dropped out.[1]
Career
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]
See also
Reference
- ^ a b Dong-hyeon, Lee (November 4, 2024). "[Who Is?] 김형태 시프트업 대표이사". Business Post (in Korean). Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "Corporate Governance – Board of Directors (Hyung Tae Kim)". SHIFT UP. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ Kang, John. "Creator Of Blockbuster Game 'Goddess Of Victory: Nikke' Joins Ranks Of Korea's 50 Richest". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 27, 2025. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "Blockbuster Korean IPO Makes Video Game Artist a Billionaire". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "[지스타 2021] 시프트업 김형태 대표가 말하는 "그림쟁이에서 게임 디렉터로의 길"". Daum (v.daum.net) (in Korean). 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ Kim, Jong-Woo (July 11, 2022). "Kakao-invested game developer Shiftup becomes unicorn startup - KED Global". KED Global. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "Tencent-backed Shift Up may price IPO at top end of band, source says". Reuters. June 27, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "Kim Hyung-tae". Forbes. Retrieved December 25, 2025.