Launch Success on Steam
It’s only been out a few hours, but Phantom Blade Zero is already a big hit on Steam, topping the best-selling games chart, and reaching a huge peak concurrent player count of 448,000.
Phantom Blade Zero is ahead of eternal Steam big hitters PUBG and Dota 2 by peak concurrent players, and behind only Counter-Strike 2 as the most-played game on Valve's platform. But it's worth noting that the total peak player count will be even higher, given Phantom Blade Zero is also out on PS5.
It's also the best-selling game on Steam by revenue, ahead of Activision Modern Warfare 4, Aion 2, and Probably Stolen, a Cyberpunk shopkeeper sim that's going viral.
Prelaunch Sales and Development
The early success shouldn't come as a huge surprise. This week, it was estimated that Phantom Blade Zero had sold over 1 million copies before launch, across launch platforms Steam and PS5, and Tencent’s WeGame. Nearly two thirds of total prelaunch sales were from China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong. Phantom Blade Zero is a wuxia action game developed by Chinese studio S-Game, and features martial arts movie star Donnie Yen.
Alongside the launch of the game, creative director and S-Game CEO, Soulframe Liang, penned a letter thanking fans. In it, he talked about the game’s humble beginnings — a version of the world he created as a student in RPG Maker called Rainblood: Town of Death.
Back then, I had no idea where my life or career would lead, he noted, adding that making games had simply been a source of comfort while studying abroad before becoming his life's work.
More than three years ago, when the studio brought their first rough trailer to a PlayStation showcase, Phantom Blade was simply an original IP with an unfamiliar world, characters, and story.
The team cancelled other projects to focus on Phantom Blade while expanding the scale of production, travelling across China to 3D scan villages, capture motion capture, and consult with sword masters.
Soulframe also highlighted key team members like art director Michael Chang, emphasizing that technological capability has become a baseline while true obsession and mindset drive the final product.
The development process frequently involved tough decisions to discard built elements and rework content to ensure the highest possible quality.
The team expressed deep gratitude for the immense effort poured into the project over years of iteration and heavy rework.
The post concluded by thanking players who followed the game’s journey from its indie origins to topping the Steam charts on day one.
Critical Reception
Early critical reception for Phantom Blade Zero has been exceptionally positive, praising its smooth action mechanics, memorable boss fights, and compelling combat systems.
Additional player guides covering weapons, accessories, and specialized game mechanics are currently available for players diving into the release.
