In a welcome turn of moments, S-Game, the brains behind the upcoming Phantom Blade Zero, released an official statement on the game’s official X account announcing how the game is being made without the use of any generative AI, and is 100% crafted by humans. And while names weren’t taken, it was easy to figure out that the studio is talking about the recent NVIDIA DLSS 5 showcase.
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
While NetEase Games often comes under scrutiny by players for allegedly using AI in titles like Marvel Rivals, S-Games has taken a surprisingly different path. Wondering what exactly the studio revealed in their announcement? Here’s what everything Phantom Blade Zero has to do with its involvement in generative AI.
Phantom Blade Zero Is Being Crafted 100% Without Any Generative AI
The game is not going to use any generative AI | Credit:- S-Game
NVIDIA’s most recent piece of gaming tech arrives with DLSS 5, and for those unaware, this feature allows you to render your game with photorealistic lighting in real-time, essentially using Gen-AI to output realistic and manipulated frames from your game’s original frames.
This is a controversial move for many reasons, including, but not limited to, the use of AI and how it actively modifies the frames of supported titles, arguably also interfering with the original artist’s intent and integrity with their work. Keeping this in mind, S-Game’s recent announcement positions Phantom Blade Zero as part of a growing counter-movement that values craftsmanship over convenience.
In the aforementioned tweet, the studio clarifies that artistic intent is more important to them than anything:
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.
To further support their perspective, S-Game also shared how everything in the game, from the visuals, characters, dialogues, and even the guiding maps, was all crafted genuinely, and no use of AI was made. It’s important to note that the studio is not rejecting technological advancements like upscaling or performance-enhancing tools. Instead, its focus is on generative AI, which is controversially making its way into the industry regardless of our wishes.
Why Phantom Blade Zero’s Stance Matters More Than You Think
Credit: S-Game
Credit: S-Game
Credit: S-Game
Credit: S-Game
Credit: S-Game
In an industry where the influence of AI is growing at an uncomfortable rate, for a studio to come out and openly support human art and ownership is a breath of fresh air. Generative AI is there to provide faster production cycles and reduced costs, but there are far too many trade-offs that come with its use.
The decision to openly state and support human artwork delivers a message to both developers and the audience, suggesting that to make a visually impressive and high-quality game, you do not necessarily require generative AI in the process.
From a PR perspective, S-Game also effectively builds a better relationship with its fans by acknowledging publicly how much they value human creativity, and the extent of efforts they have gone to keep their game human-led.
Curious to see if this bold no-AI approach pays off? Make sure to keep up with us for the latest updates on Phantom Blade Zero for when it finally comes out on 9 September 2026, just a week before another massive PlayStation release.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
