Overview
Pathea Games is a Chinese game development studio based in Chongqing, China, founded in 2012 by creative director Zifei Wu. The studio employs approximately 160 people. Pathea is best known for its cozy simulation RPGs before pivoting to the action RPG genre with The God Slayer.
Previous Titles
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Planet Explorers | Pathea's first game, an open-world sandbox RPG |
My Time at Portia (2019) | a farming and crafting simulation RPG that established Pathea's reputation, earning over 130 million yuan in revenue |
My Time at Sandrock (2023) | the sequel to Portia, expanding on the formula with a desert setting and deeper systems |
Superball | a free-to-play sports game |
Ever Forward | a puzzle-adventure game exploring themes of technology and nature |
Let's School | a school management simulation game |
Evolution as a Studio
Wu has framed the transition to The God Slayer as less of a departure than it might appear. "From our point of view, we've always been making open world RPGs," he said, pointing to Portia and Sandrock as 2x2km open worlds in their own right. My Time at Portia was criticized for its flat story structure. Sandrock improved with more player agency. The God Slayer applies those lessons at a larger scale, with a branching narrative and the dual identity system providing multiple approaches to quests.
The God Slayer
The God Slayer was announced at ChinaJoy in July 2023 as part of Sony's PlayStation China Hero Project Phase 3. The game uses Unreal Engine 5 and features martial arts combat, a dark narrative centered on divine conflict, and an open-world steampunk setting inspired by Chongqing's own dramatic geography.
The studio built an in-house motion capture facility specifically for the project, hiring martial artists and actors to capture combat and cutscene performances. Wu has cited influences including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Shadow of the Colossus, Spider-Man, and 1980s Hong Kong martial arts cinema.
China Hero Project
Sony's China Hero Project is an incubation program for Chinese developers. Phase 3 was announced at ChinaJoy in July 2023 and includes The God Slayer alongside other titles such as Awaken: Astral Blade, Exiledge, Will-less, The Winds Rising, Daba: Land of Water Scar, Unending Dawn, Kroraina, and Project: Jinyiwei.
Across all phases, the program has selected 19 games total. Of those, 10 have been released and 9 remain in development. Released titles from earlier phases include FIST: Forged in Shadow Torch and Anno: Mutationem. The program provides participating studios with a service package worth over 1 million yuan (approximately $140,000 USD) plus mentorship. Pathea Games is credited as both developer and publisher for The God Slayer on its official store listing, with Sony providing development support, marketing, and publishing support through the PlayStation China Hero Project.
AI Usage
Pathea maintains a minimal AI usage policy for The God Slayer's production. Wu has been candid about its limitations: "The examples that AI gives us are weird... So, a lot of the stuff we actually have to think about ourselves." AI is used primarily for reference image searching, as the game's unique Eastern steampunk aesthetic lacks existing reference material in AI training datasets. The studio prioritizes hand-crafted art and motion-captured animation.
Music
The God Slayer's soundtrack blends orchestration with traditional Chinese instruments and uses electric guitar for boss fights. The music is reactive, adapting to player actions during combat and exploration. No named composer has been publicly announced.
Location Influence
Pathea's home city of Chongqing directly inspired the design of Zhou. Chongqing is known for its vertically layered urban landscape, built across dramatic hillsides where buildings stack above each other in ways that defy conventional city planning. This geography translates directly into Zhou's dense, multi-level architecture.
Content Rating
The God Slayer's official store listing carries content warnings for partial fantasy violence, use of alcohol, and use of tobacco or references.
Supported Languages
At launch, The God Slayer will support nine languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Russian. Voice acting is confirmed in English and Mandarin Chinese.