KUALA LUMPUR: Chinese studio S-Games has been making headlines since unveiling its action role-playing game Phantom Blade Zero in 2023.
Although PlayStation played a major role in showcasing the game and encouraging its developers to pursue a more ambitious project, much of that effort came from Shuhei Yoshida and others. This was long before the PlayStation we see today.
Did that help secure PlayStation sales of the game, which came out this week? Not really. Some 75.9 per cent of its sales came from Steam, while about 24.9 per cent were on PS5 in the Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwanese markets. S-Games did the heavy lifting, although PlayStation’s additional funding undoubtedly helped broaden the game’s appeal and boost its popularity.
There is little doubt that Phantom Blade Zero can be seen as another “exclusive” in PlayStation’s portfolio, with its financial backing helping bring the game to launch. However, this is also a case of a publisher honouring commitments made by people with the foresight and vision to recognise the project’s potential, many of whom have since left or been ousted by current leaders Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst.
Time will tell whether console sales of Phantom Blade Zero will overtake PC sales worldwide. For now, PlayStation should be grateful that S-Games is willing to partner with it despite the company’s recent issues.
Short Beats
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 uses real news footage from a South Korean tragedy, prompting families to urge publisher Activision to remove it.
Xbox will reveal more news and updates about the upcoming role-playing game The Elder Scrolls 6 on Nov 11.
Phantom Blade Zero debuted this week with 723,876 peak concurrent users on PC (Steam), the highest figure for a single-player game in 2026 so far.
An anime adaptation of Death Stranding has been announced. Titled Death Stranding: Isolations, the series will stream on Disney+ in 2027.
The live-action adaptation of Street Fighter has grossed more than US$81.9 million worldwide within two weeks of its release. The show’s budget is US$82 million.
Games Of The Week
Monster Hunter Outlanders is the latest mobile entry in Capcom’s long-running Monster Hunter series, developed by TiMi Studio Group. The free-to-play action role-playing game lets players hunt giant monsters either solo, with an AI-controlled party, or alongside other players online. Available on iOS and Android devices, it is our game of the week.
Phantom Blade Zero is an action role-playing game from Chinese studio S-Games, featuring wuxia combat, an assortment of weapons and fighting styles, and a metroidvania-style setting and structure. Available on PC and PlayStation 5.
Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown is the latest expansion to the computer role-playing game Crimson Desert, featuring new quests and gameplay additions to the open-world title. Available on PC and consoles.
Hello Kitty Party Land is a party game from Sanrio Games and Bandai Namco Entertainment, featuring the former’s original mascots. Available on Nintendo Switch consoles.
Recommended Viewing
Fighting game content creators Maximilian, Justin Wong and Matt McMuscles have teamed up for a one-off episode discussing recent fighting game news, from the discontinued support for 2XKO to the live-action Street Fighter movie.
