The Only Condition Phantom Blade Zero Dev Says It Needs to Survive is What Made Space Marine 2 a Giant Success

First announced way back at the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Phantom Blade Zero is an RPG being developed by Beijing-based studio S-GAME, targeting PS5 and PC. It’s the biggest game for the studio so far, and it’s the most ambitious project yet, with it only having two smaller games under its belt before.

Despite S-GAME’s presumptive inexperience, the fast-paced samurai action in the Phantom Blade Zero‘s gameplay trailers has caught the eyes of many, and it even closed out the 2024 Summer Game Fest showcase. The development team plans to use the same formula for success as Saber Interactive’s breakout hit, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2.

Phantom Blade Zero Developer Knows The Secret to Success

While chatting with 4Gamer, S-GAME’s CEO Liang Qiwei, who is also Phantom Blade Zero‘s producer, opened up about the team’s efforts to bring authentic Hong Kong-style kung-fu techniques into the game and completely shake up what we’ve seen in the past when it comes to such as martial art moves.

To appeal to a wide range of gamers, S-GAME has gone for a “kung-fu punk” theme, which offers a blend of martial arts with our modern-day popular culture. Even though Qiwei acknowledges that such themes might be a challenge for unfamiliar players to grasp, it wouldn’t be an issue as long as the game is entertaining for everyone to dig into.

If you can achieve high quality and an entertaining playing experience, I think that a difficult theme can actually be an advantage, not a disadvantage. If your game is entertaining, players will perceive unfamiliar themes as something fresh,” S-Game’s head explains. 

It’s not the first time we’ve seen unfamiliar themes working out in favor of game developers. We can’t forget about the success of Black Myth: Wukong, which showed us that players will accept new challenges as long as the game offers immersion and entertainment.

The same goes for Saber Interactive’s Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2. Many in the gaming community didn’t have a shred of an idea about Warhammer 40k‘s universe before the release of the game, and many expected it to be a flop since it was diving into the world of the unknown.

However, Saber’s commitment to the project ultimately worked out as Space Marine 2 is one of the biggest hits of the year. The development focussed on delivering a quality experience despite bringing unfamiliar themes, which ultimately worked out.

As long as developers keep checking the box of entertaining and engaging games, Pplayers won’t be bothered by going into unknown territory. It’s great to see that Phantom Blade Zero is learning from the best in the industry.

When is Phantom Blade Zero Coming Out?

There’s no doubt that Phantom Blade Zero is one of the most anticipated titles in the industry right now. It brings a bleak, dark aesthetic that’s paired with hack-and-slash action. It’s quite reminiscent of games such as Sekiro, Nioh, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. So, it’s no surprise that everyone wants to get their hands on this game.

Unfortunately, Phantom Blade Zero still doesn’t have a release date. The game was initially supposed to drop sometime in 2024, but time is rapidly running out for the window. While the recent trailers and demos have given us an impressive slice of the action, they didn’t give us any information on when it will actually be in a playable state.

Unlike Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, S-GAME is only targeting a release for current-gen. Phantom Blade Zero will be released on PS5 and PC, and it won’t be on PS4 when it comes out. It’s still unclear whether we’ll ever see an Xbox release.

With that said, are you excited about Phantom Blade Zero? If so, let us know in the comments below!