Phantom Blade Zero Developer Speaks Out Against AI Tools That May Distort Artists’ Original Vision Following DLSS 5 Controversy

Phantom Blade Zero is set to launch later this year, and the Chinese developer S-Game Studio is making it clear that they want to steer clear of the ongoing genAI controversy. This comes after the action-RPG was mentioned among titles supporting Nvidia’s contentious new DLSS 5 upscaling technology. The studio emphasized that they will not incorporate AI that could compromise their artistic vision, especially after DLSS 5 faced criticism from players for its odd NPC designs.

In a statement shared on X, the Phantom Blade Zero account noted, “We are fully aware that a profound technological revolution is unfolding around us. However, to this day, every single piece of content in our game has been crafted by the hands of real artists. We will not use AI visual tech that could alter our artists’ original creative intent.”

S-Game provided insights into the development of Phantom Blade, highlighting its foundation in reality rather than AI-generated content. This includes character models created from 3D scans of the game’s cast, “meticulously refined” voice acting in both Chinese and English, and even weapon replicas made by skilled blacksmiths.

At first glance, Phantom Blade Zero may seem like just another grimdark Souls-like title, but its focus on arcade-style action rooted in “authentic kung fu techniques” and traditional swordplay has captured players’ attention ahead of its September 6 release. This approach results in a diverse arsenal of weapons and unique combos for each character.

While S-Game doesn’t explicitly mention Nvidia or DLSS 5, their statement clearly indicates a desire to distance themselves from a recent tech demo that sparked significant backlash online. Although Phantom Blade Zero wasn’t showcased using DLSS 5, it was included in a blog post as one of the upcoming games that would support the feature, which is expected to be available for anyone with a GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card.

The studio concluded their statement with a strong belief in the value of human artistry: “We firmly believe that human artistry is not merely a means for creating value; it is the value itself. S-GAME didn’t just hire a group of developers to make a game; rather, in our pursuit of continuously building an exceptional, passionate team, we decided to make a game that everyone here could be deeply proud of.”