Developed by Beijing S-Games with deep support from Sony, the action game Phantom Blade Zero will launch on PS5 and Steam on October 29. According to data, within just one week of opening pre-orders on Steam, the game has sold approximately 300,000 copies, generating around $14.5 million in revenue, with ten weeks still remaining until release. Meanwhile, the game's wishlist count has surpassed 1.6 million, firmly holding the top spot among unreleased games this year. Sony is giving the title "first-party level" promotional support, including a dedicated State of Play showcase and exclusive features such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
The Chinese market is the core engine driving attention. It is estimated that Chinese players account for 29% of the 1.6 million wishlists, followed by the US at 17% and Japan at 5%. The game has received publishing approval in mainland China and will have a simultaneous global release, adopting regional pricing—with the price in the Chinese region being 33.6% lower than in the US. Culturally, the game incorporates traditional Chinese elements such as lion dancing, Peking Opera, and ink wash painting, and features Donnie Yen as the motion capture and martial arts consultant, potentially sparking national pride similar to that seen with Black MYTH - Steam Edition: Wukong.
Comparing同期 data, when Phantom Blade Zero was 70 days away from release, its sales were approximately 286,000 copies, which is 6.4 times that of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers during the same period, and about 73% of Black MYTH - Steam Edition: Wukong's figures for the same timeframe. Although Black MYTH - Steam Edition ultimately achieved an astonishing total of around 17 million copies, the fact that Phantom Blade Zero can be compared alongside it indicates a quite impressive start.
However, reputation and optimization remain key factors determining its upper limit. S-Games delayed the release by 50 days to October 29 for polishing, but the PC minimum requirement of a GTX 1660 may exclude some players with lower-end setups. While the sentiment on consoles of "not buying without a physical disc" has a smaller impact, it is still worth noting. Whether the game can replicate the glory of Black MYTH - Steam Edition remains to be seen after its release.