Phantom Blade Zero Studio Says “Every Single Piece of Content” is Hand-Crafted by Real Artists

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S-Game, the studio behind the upcoming action RPG Phantom Blade Zero, has clarified its stance on AI. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), they stated they aren’t using any AI tools that would change the original vision of their artists. The studio also detailed their development process, explaining they used 3D scans to create character models and traditional Chinese weapons as prototypes for the game’s in-game weaponry.

We’re in the home stretch of developing Phantom Blade Zero and dedicating all our efforts to making it the best it can be. We know technology, especially AI, is rapidly changing, but we’re committed to ensuring all the game’s visuals are created by our artists, preserving their unique vision and creative control. We won’t use AI tools that would change their original work.

We created our characters using detailed 3D scans of our amazing cast, who also performed the facial expressions you see in the game. The voice acting, in both Chinese and English, was carefully polished by our talented actors and directors, and we’ve perfectly synced it to the characters’ lip movements. Our weapon designs are inspired by classic Chinese arms, and to truly understand how they feel and move, we’ve even had real versions forged by expert swordsmiths.

The development team hired over twenty skilled martial artists to capture realistic movements for the game’s combat system. To make sure the kung fu felt genuine, they worked directly with experts and leaders from traditional martial arts schools. For authentic sword fighting, they brought in masters from Mount Emei, and for the lion dance sequences, they consulted with renowned performers from Guangdong. These efforts clearly show in the game’s release trailer, which features a boss character inspired by lion dancing.

The team behind Phantom Blade Zero drew inspiration for the game’s world by traveling to beautiful and historic places all over China, including traditional ancestral halls in Fujian, ancient towns in Zhejiang, and even historic steel factories in Beijing.

Surprisingly, the maps within the game aren’t created with AI or even digital painting techniques. S-Game has confirmed they are traditionally hand-drawn using Chinese brushes and Xuan paper – a type of paper made from rice straw and tree bark, commonly used in calligraphy and painting. The developers went a step further, collaborating with young artists from the Chinese Painting department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) to create them.

The company emphasized that human creativity isn’t just how they create value, it is the value. They didn’t simply set out to make a game by hiring developers; instead, they focused on building a truly exceptional and dedicated team, and wanted to create something everyone involved could be proud of.

Currently being developed for PC and PlayStation 5, Phantom Blade Zero will launch on September 9th and will be a PlayStation exclusive for at least one year. An Xbox Series X/S version isn’t confirmed, but developers haven’t said it’s impossible.

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2026-04-10 14:41