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Phantom Blade Zero Studio Rejects AI Visual Tech, Affirms All Content Is Human-Made

The declaration distances the game from NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 upscaling after player backlash over AI‑altered visuals.

Overview

  • S-GAME, which posted an official statement Friday, said it will not use any AI visual technology and that every asset in Phantom Blade Zero was created by human artists.
  • Media noted the message as a public step back from NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 listing, a new AI upscaler that generates intermediate frames and drew ridicule for changing faces and style in demos.
  • The studio detailed a human-led pipeline that includes character models from 3D scans, facial capture, and voice work in Chinese and English with full lip sync.
  • Combat animations were captured from more than 20 martial artists, weapons were prototyped by master swordsmiths, maps were hand-drawn by Central Academy of Fine Arts artists, and Chinese locations were scanned to shape the game’s ‘Kungfupunk’ look.
  • The team said development is in its final stretch, with release set for September 9, 2026 on PC and PlayStation 5.