consoles | GameTrader.SG

Why S-GAME Delayed Phantom Blade Zero

The studio was direct about the reason: this is a polish delay, not a sign of development trouble. S-GAME identified a final window to raise the game’s visual quality — upgrading character models and reworking environmental textures — without sacrificing the performance targets already locked in. Importantly, the improvements do not lean on ray tracing, keeping the game accessible to a wider range of hardware.

“We do not want to release Phantom Blade Zero knowing there is still an opportunity to take it one step further,” the studio said. “While 50 days cannot change everything, it is enough time to finalize the critical improvements that players will notice the moment they start the game.”

For Singapore gamers, the move also clears a brutal late-September window that already has Marvel’s Wolverine (15 September), Control Resonant (24 September), and Onimusha: Way of the Sword (25 September) competing for attention and wallet space. Landing on 29 October gives Phantom Blade Zero breathing room to be its own event.

What Is Phantom Blade Zero?

Phantom Blade Zero protagonist Soul in high-speed kung fu combat

Image courtesy of S-GAME / PlayStation

If this is your first time hearing about it, here is the quick brief. Phantom Blade Zero is an action RPG built in Unreal Engine 5, set in a “Kung Fu Punk” world that fuses classic wuxia storytelling with kinetic combat that has drawn comparisons to Ninja Gaiden, Sekiro, and Devil May Cry. You play as Soul, a warrior with 66 days to live who must uncover the truth behind his master’s murder.

Combat is stamina-free and built around two primary bladed weapons — each with a “power surge” ultimate ability — plus two secondary Phantom Edges ranging from cannons and lances to axes and hammers. The world is semi-open with interconnected regions and paths that unlock as you gain new weapons and abilities. The pitch: relentless, precise, and spectacularly stylish.

Phantom Blade Zero semi-open world environment

Image courtesy of S-GAME / PlayStation

New Teaser Trailer and What’s Still to Come

S-GAME released a new Special Teaser alongside the delay announcement — roughly one minute of footage that shows Soul in full combat flow while, in a striking visual choice, protecting a baby mid-fight. It is the kind of image that crystallises the game’s tone: wildly cinematic but grounded in precise martial arts logic.

Phantom Blade Zero action sequence showcasing multi-weapon combat

Image courtesy of S-GAME / PlayStation

There is more to look forward to before launch. S-GAME has confirmed that pre-orders open this summer with a full trailer attached, and a dedicated State of Play deep dive is scheduled for late summer 2026 — covering the world, combat system, exploration, and character progression in detail. If the brief State of Play segment in June already had the community excited, the full showcase should give Singapore gamers everything they need to make a call on day-one.

Phantom Blade Zero launches 29 October 2026 on PlayStation 5 (with a console-exclusive window) and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. SGD pricing has not been announced yet — that is expected alongside the pre-order opening this summer.

Last Words

A 50-day slip is never great news on paper, but S-GAME’s track record of transparency makes this one easy to accept. The September PS5 schedule was always going to force Singapore gamers into some painful pick-one choices; October 29 clears that crunch and lets Phantom Blade Zero land with the attention it deserves as one of the most visually ambitious Asian-developed action games in years. Mark the date, watch for the summer pre-order trailer, and keep an eye on our gaming news for more updates as they drop.

We’ve heard about it for ages – have mobile games brought the death of the console?

Early last year, there were talks about how mobile gaming had killed the console gaming industry, The PS3, for all its merits, died at the hands of Smartphones, and as gaming began to take a life of its own in the mobile industry, so too did the mobile industry start to become dependent on gaming.

It’s this relationship that has pushed many developers into acknowledging the fact that mobile gaming posed a threat to the already-established platforms of PC and console gaming. Everyone had such high hopes for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, thinking that this latest generation of consoles would revive the console market, and for a while, the future seemed bright, with the PS4 sells 4.2 million units in 2013.

This year, however, tells of a different story. Most experts predict that while video game spending is expected to rise by 10% this year, only $4 of every $10 spent on video games will come from console gaming. The thriving mobile industry is said to be the culprit, and if console manufacturers don’t start adapting to the threat of mobile gaming, they’re bound to be left in the dust.

Why exactly is the mobile gaming industry killing consoles? It’s all quite simple: as one veteran games developer told TechCrunch, “The PS4/XB1 is the first generation to have technology worse than what is already out there.” O2 explains that there had always been two areas where consoles had the upper hand over Smartphones and mobile gaming devices: graphics and power. The latest generation of Smartphones, however, has become much more advanced, to the point that they can run high-end games without lag thanks to 64-bit processors.

Console-style games have also made their way onto Smartphones, and thanks to the limitless amount of accessories available, the gaming experience can be as close to console gaming as one would imagine. Smartphones can now be mirrored on widescreen TVs, and accessories like the Moga controller have also made console-like controls available to smartphone gamers.

There’s also the question of practicality. When the PS4/XB1 were released, they set gamers back by about $400 per console, and these consoles were hardly better for much else than playing games and watching videos. On the other hand, a good smartphone – which can do everything from play games, access social networking websites, take photos, read email, open and edit documents, send messages and make calls – will cost you no more than $200. As for the games themselves, the average PS4 game costs $60 brand new – a price unheard of in mobile gaming. Most mobile games cost nothing more than $0.99, and for the price of a PS4 game, a mobile gamer could download dozens of games, as well as get a head start with in-app purchases.

Let’s not forget that the mobile industry is also much friendlier to independent developers, and the cost of developing an app or mobile game is much cheaper than developing games for consoles – a process that could take years. This has led to literally over a million apps being born into the mobile markets, appealing to all niches. The casual aspect of mobile gaming also means that it’s much easier for players to launch and end their games. After all, all you’d really have to do is bring out your smartphone – no matter where you are – flick to the game you want to play, and start playing. To pause the game, all you’d have to do is lock your phone again. But as for console games, a player would have to go to where his console is installed, wait for the console to boot up, load a disc, and wait for the disc to be read. Ending the game would require properly shutting down your console, and in today’s fast-paced world, not everyone has time for that.

Do you think that consoles stand a chance against the mobile market, or have you been sucked into the Smartphone trend as well? Let us know in the comments below!