Development problems and internal conflicts surrounding the action RPG Lost Soul Aside from Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ultizero Games have allegedly undermined the game's reputation in China even before its release.
After nearly ten years of work on the project, the game was released on August 29, 2025, but its reputation in its home market is marred by a scandal related to development difficulties and internal disagreements within the studio.
The controversy erupted after leaked personal chats from a former developer surfaced online earlier this year (thanks to Reset Era forum member Ceerious). They contained disturbing comments that quickly went viral in Chinese gaming circles. One former employee boasted, "The project can only be completed thanks to Yang Bing [director/producer of Lost Soul Aside] and me," downplaying the contributions of others. More serious was the use of insults and the assertion that "losing one sale from the yellows is compensated by ten from the blacks." Other messages accused Sony of forcing political correctness during a visit to the studio.
The authenticity of the leaks was not disputed by producer Yang Bing, who publicly apologized, acknowledged his mistakes in leadership, and emphasized that the employee had been fired last year.
The incident heightened Chinese fans' skepticism about the troubled development. Despite Bing's apologies, trust in Lost Soul Aside in China has not yet been restored: only 3,070 people played the game simultaneously on Steam two days after its release, which is significantly less than the success of Black Myth: Wukong from Game Science with a peak of over 2.4 million players.
Lost Soul Aside is available on PlayStation 5 and PC.
