Phantom Blade Zero Devs Clarify Xbox Misquote

S-GAME has finally addressed the controversial statement made by an anonymous source at ChinaJoy 2024. Discover the details of the uproar and the Phantom Blade developers’ response.

S-GAME Responds to the Controversy

Nobody Needs Xbox, Media Outlets Say

S-GAME, the developers behind Phantom Blade Zero and Black Myth: Wukong, have issued a statement on Twitter (X) addressing claims made by an anonymous source. Multiple media outlets at the ChinaJoy 2024 event reported on the alleged Phantom Blade Zero developer who made controversial statements about Xbox.

The studio's statement on Twitter (X) reaffirmed their commitment to making the game widely accessible.

"These claimed statements do not represent S-GAME’s values or culture," the statement reads. "We believe in making our game accessible to everyone and have not ruled out any platforms for Phantom Blade Zero. We are hard at work on both the development and publishing fronts to ensure that as many players as possible can enjoy our game at release and in the future."

The controversy stemmed from a statement by an anonymous source, claiming to be a developer on Phantom Blade Zero, published in a Chinese news outlet. Directly translated by fans, it read "no one shows any interest in Xbox." This news spread, with outlets like Aroged reporting that Xbox is "a platform that does not find demand, especially in Asia." The situation escalated when Brazilian outlet Gameplay Cassi mistranslated the statement as "nobody needs this platform" when citing Aroged.

In their response, S-GAME did not explicitly confirm nor deny the authenticity of the anonymous source. However, there is some truth to their claims. Xbox’s popularity in Asia significantly lags behind PlayStation and Nintendo. In Japan, for instance, Xbox Series X|S sales barely reached half a million units in over four years, while the PS5 sold a million units in 2021 alone.

There is also the issue of the platform's availability in most Asian countries. For example, in 2021, Southeast Asia lacked retail support for Xbox, with Singapore being the only place where consoles, games, and accessories are distributed. This forced retailers in other Southeast Asian countries to rely on overseas wholesalers for their Xbox inventory.

The controversy escalated with speculation of an exclusive deal between S-GAME and Sony. While the studio previously acknowledged receiving development and marketing support from Sony in a June 8 interview with a Chinese content creator, they have since denied rumors of an exclusive partnership. In their Summer 2024 Developer Update, S-GAME emphasized that "in addition to PlayStation 5, we’re planning to release it to PC as well."

Although the studio has not confirmed an Xbox release, their recent response to the controversy leaves the door open for the possibility of the game coming to the said platform.