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11 Overview
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33 Phantom Blade Zero is the latest entry in a lineage that stretches back to 2008, when Soulframe Liang (Liang Qiwei) built Rainblood: Town of Death as a solo project using RPG Maker while still a university student. The series evolved from a turn-based indie RPG to a side-scrolling action game to a mobile franchise, and Phantom Blade Zero is its first AAA console title.
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55 Series timeline
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77 Rainblood: Town of Death (2008)
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99 A four-hour turn-based RPG about a martial artist who is betrayed, hunted, and discovers he has 64 days to live. Liang made it entirely by himself. Within one day of its online release, it had over 100,000 downloads. It eventually exceeded 4 million. RPGFan gave it an 88/100. The game's premise (a warrior with a numbered countdown to death) directly prefigures Phantom Blade Zero's 66-day mechanic, which adds exactly two more days.
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1111 Rainblood 2: City of Flame (2011)
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1313 Released after S-GAME's formal founding. It followed the original's formula and critical reception.
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1515 Rainblood Chronicles: Mirage (2013)
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1717 The first shift in genre: from turn-based RPG to side-scrolling action using Unity 3D. It sold 300,000 copies within three months, with the English version adding 130,000 more. Revenue reached "a few million RMB" but most went to the publisher; the studio barely broke even. This financial pressure pushed S-GAME toward mobile development.
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1919 Phantom Blade 1 (2017, mobile)
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2121 S-GAME's first major commercial success. Monthly revenue exceeded 40 million RMB (roughly $5.6M USD). The team expanded from 20 to 70 employees.
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2323 Phantom Blade 2 (mobile)
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2525 A larger-budget follow-up that drew criticism for pay-to-win monetization.
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2727 Phantom Blade: Executioners (mobile)
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2929 Also known as Phantom Blade 3. Topped iOS RPG charts at launch but faced similar monetization criticism. This title is a prequel featuring a younger Soul.
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3131 Connection to Phantom Blade Zero
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3333 Soulframe Liang stated on the PlayStation Blog: "It all started with an indie game that I made myself with RPG Maker back in 2010. It was named Rainblood: Town of Death." He described Phantom Blade Zero as "the spiritual rebirth of the original Rainblood."
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3535 The narrative connection is deliberate: the original Rainblood protagonist had 64 days to live; Soul has 66. Returning characters include Leng Tu from the Rainblood saga. However, Phantom Blade Zero requires no knowledge of earlier titles. The Phantom World setting, martial arts themes, and themes of betrayal carry through the entire series, but the specific story is self-contained.
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3737 S-GAME founding
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3939 Liang founded S-GAME in 2011 upon returning to China. Early investor Xu Xiaoping (ZhenFund founder) contributed 1 million RMB (roughly $140,000 USD). In 2021, Tencent acquired a 25% stake, providing funding and technical support while respecting creative autonomy. S-GAME retains 75% ownership. The journey from a solo RPG Maker game to a AAA UE5 title took nearly 18 years.