Everything Was Done by Hand: Phantom Blade Zero Authors Assured They Didn't Use AI in Development

Wuxia action game has reached the final stage of development.

The wuxia-style action game Phantom Blade Zero has reached the final stage of development before its release, which is scheduled for September 9. The developers from S-Game have also taken a principled stance on the use of generative AI in the industry.

Studio head Civi Liang emphasized that generative AI technologies are not used in the project to create visual content. According to him, all elements of the game — from characters to environments — are entirely created manually by artists, without such tools.

This approach extends to all aspects of development. Character models were created based on 3D scanning of real actors, and the voice acting is performed in Chinese and English with full lip synchronization. Even the main character's weapon was first made by real blacksmiths, after which it was used in motion capture sessions.

Special attention is also paid to the elaboration of the game world. The S-Game team visited various regions of China — from ancestral halls in Fujian to ancient cities in Zhejiang and industrial facilities in Beijing. All these locations were scanned and reinterpreted to create a unique visual style that the developers call "kung fu punk." The maps in the game were drawn manually using traditional Chinese brushes and rice paper with the participation of artists from the Central Academy of Fine Arts.