Phantom Blade Zero Devs Reject Visual AI Tools for 2026 Release

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Phantom Blade Zero is highly anticipated, but some players have wondered if its ambitious scope would cause it to be delayed.

To reassure those who doubted and offer a positive update, developer S-GAME has confirmed the game is still on schedule to release in 2026. They also criticized the increasing trend of using artificial intelligence in game development.

Handcrafted Artistry Over “AI Slop”

S-GAME recently shared on X (formerly Twitter) that the game is almost finished. The development team is now working hard to make every part of the game as good as it can be, and they’ve confirmed it will still be released later this year.

The most notable part of the update was the studio’s position on the rapid advancements in AI technology. S-GAME emphasized that they are committed to creating content made by human artists, and want to avoid AI tools that could change the core artistic direction of their projects.

We know technology is rapidly changing, but we want to assure players that all the art and content in our game is still created by human artists, not AI or automated tools.

This immediately led people to wonder if they were talking about NVIDIA’s DLSS 5, which caused a strong reaction from fans just recently. Although S-GAME had been announced as a partner for the technology, initial looks at DLSS 5 in games like Resident Evil Requiem and Starfield received negative feedback. Some players criticized the AI-improved graphics, calling them “AI slop” and saying they altered the intended artistic style.

S-GAME explained the extensive work that went into creating Phantom Blade Zero. Character models are made using detailed 3D scans and can realistically lip-sync dialogue in several languages. The game’s combat is based on movements captured from skilled martial artists, and the weapons are accurate recreations of traditional Chinese arms.

To reassure those who doubted and offer some optimism, S-GAME has announced that the game is still on schedule for release in 2026. They also criticized the increasing use of artificial intelligence within the gaming industry.

Beyond that, the team journeyed throughout China – from traditional ancestral halls in Fujian province to historic towns in Zhejiang – carefully scanning these real places. They then creatively reimagined them to develop a distinctive visual style they’ve dubbed “Kungfupunk,” and it really is quite stylish.

To emphasize their commitment, S-GAME also confirmed that all the game’s maps are created entirely by human designers, reiterating that no AI was used in their development.

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The artists clarified that these works weren’t created with AI or digital tools. Instead, they were traditionally hand-drawn using Chinese brushes and rice paper. They emphasized that the value of art isn’t just what it creates, but the human skill and creativity behind it.

This does bring up the question of whether S-GAME will continue to work with NVIDIA on DLSS 5.

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2026-04-11 00:39