It seems the game’s director is suggesting that S-Game’s title won’t use the latest version of Nvidia’s upscaling technology.
Liang Qiwei, also known as Soulframe, the director of Phantom Blade Zero, posted a lengthy message on Twitter explaining that the studio prioritizes human creativity and artistic expression over AI-generated content. However, it seems that the studio is quietly withdrawing its support for Nvidia’s new DLSS 5 technology.
Phantom Blade Zero is currently in the intense, final stages of development. With the time we have left, we are pouring every available resource into pushing every aspect of the game to the absolute limit of our capabilities.
We are fully aware that a profound technological… pic.twitter.com/UVfWL0pLqr
— Phantom Blade Zero (@pbzero_official) April 10, 2026
“Phantom Blade Zero is currently in the intense final stages of development. With the time we have left, we are pouring every available resource into pushing every aspect of the game to the absolute limit of our capabilities. We are fully aware that a profound technological revolution is unfolding around us. However, to this day, every piece of content in our game has been crafted by real artists. We will not use AI visual technology that could alter our artists’ original creative intent. Our character models are built on 3D scans of our phenomenal cast, who also performed the facial captures. Our dedicated actors and directors have meticulously refined the voice acting in both Chinese and English, complete with full lip-syncing for both languages.
We draw the prototypes for our weapons from the vast arsenal of traditional Chinese weaponry. To better understand how a weapon’s weight and length impact movement, we sometimes have master swordsmiths forge real replicas. Our combat scenes are motion-captured by over twenty highly experienced martial artists. To capture the most authentic kung fu techniques, we consult with masters and inheritors of traditional martial arts schools directly. For authentic swordplay, we invited sword masters from Mount Emei, and for lion dance choreography, we brought in masters from Guangdong.
We also visited many stunning locations across China, including ancestral halls in Fujian, ancient towns in Zhejiang, and old steel factories in Beijing. We scanned these places and reimagined them in unexpected combinations to create something original – the visual identity we call Kungfupunk. The game also features a series of guiding maps. They are neither AI-generated nor digital paintings. Young artists from the Chinese Painting department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, CAFA, hand-drew them using Chinese brushes and Xuan paper, rice paper.
We firmly believe that human artistry is not merely a means of creating value, but the value itself. S-Game didn’t just hire a group of developers to make a game. Rather, in our pursuit of building an exceptional and passionate team, we decided to create a game that everyone here could take deep pride in. We can’t wait for you to experience the difference in Phantom Blade Zero in a few months. Thank you!”, wrote Soulframe.
S-Game was likely originally committed to the technology but changed its mind after the controversial demo. Many players believed that the technology was merely an AI filter that undermined the developers’ artistic intent. This is the first time a developer who had clearly approved integrating the technology into their game reversed that decision.
Phantom Blade Zero is in the final stages of development and will launch on September 9 for PlayStation 5 and PC.
Source: WCCFTech
