Phantom Blade Zero pre-orders have reportedly far exceeded expectations just five days after opening, according to S-Game founder and producer Liang Qiwei, known as Soulframe.
In a message published on Chinese social media on August 17, Soulframe thanked players for supporting the upcoming action RPG and said the early performance had surpassed what the development team anticipated.
“Pre-orders for Phantom Blade Zero have been live for five days now, and the pre-order performance has far exceeded our expectations,” Soulframe said. “For this, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the friends who have supported Phantom Blade Zero! This is a vote of confidence from our players, and we will spare no effort to deliver an outstanding gaming experience.”
No specific pre-order figures were provided, so it remains unclear exactly how many copies have been reserved or how the performance compares with S-Game’s original expectations.
Donnie Yen Collaboration Gets Major Focus
Soulframe also discussed the game’s collaboration with martial arts star Donnie Yen, whose involvement has generated significant attention online. Yen plays Mo Yuan, described by the producer as a powerful hidden boss who players will encounter after completing a series of explorations and trials.
The producer stressed that Yen’s involvement goes considerably beyond a traditional celebrity endorsement. According to Soulframe, Yen performed face and motion capture, voiced Mo Yuan in English, helped refine the character’s Chinese voice performance and provided creative feedback in his role as Creative Director.
Yen also brought in martial arts choreographer Yan Hua to help develop complex combat sequences. Soulframe said the collaboration has influenced the development team’s approach to translating Chinese kung fu into game mechanics, animation and motion capture.
The team has reportedly spent more than a thousand days working on these systems, with S-Game aiming to create an action production pipeline specifically suited to Chinese martial arts.
Phantom Blade Zero is scheduled to launch on PlayStation 5 and PC on October 29, 2026.
