Notebookcheck reports that S-Game CEO and Phantom Blade Zero director Liang has publicly said the studio used no generative AI while building the game. In an April 11 story citing Liang's post on X, the outlet says the team is now in the intense final stage of development ahead of the game's September 9, 2026 launch and is still pushing to finish every part of the project through traditional, artist-led production.

The clearest part of the message is philosophical as much as technical. Notebookcheck says Liang argued that every piece of content in Phantom Blade Zero was created by real artists and that S-Game would not use AI visual technology that could alter the original creative intent of its staff. At a time when more studios are experimenting with generative tools in concepting, iteration, or marketing, that kind of blanket rejection is also a branding statement about what the studio wants the game to represent.

The article includes several examples meant to prove the point. Character models reportedly began with 3D scans of real actors, while Chinese and English voice dubs were recorded with performers and directors rather than synthesized tools. Liang also described hand-drawn guiding maps made with Chinese brushes and Xuan paper, forged weapon replicas built so animators could study weight and balance, motion capture involving more than twenty martial artists, and location scans across China that helped shape the game's "Kungfupunk" look.

For players, the announcement does not change the release window, but it does give a clearer picture of how S-Game wants Phantom Blade Zero to be understood before launch. The studio is selling not only an action game, but also a handcrafted identity rooted in performance capture, physical reference work, and traditional art. The next thing to watch is whether the finished game demonstrates that level of craft consistently once full previews and launch reviews begin arriving later this year.

Why the statement matters

It positions Phantom Blade Zero against a wider industry trend toward generative production tools.
It gives the pre-launch campaign a concrete craft narrative instead of a vague marketing slogan.
It raises expectations that the finished game will visibly reflect the human-led process S-Game is describing.

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Phantom Blade Zero Director Says S-Game Used No Generative AI in Production