S-GAME Responds to the ControversyNobody Needs Xbox, Media Outlets Say
S-GAME, the developers behind Phantom Blade Zero and Black Myth: Wukong, finally issued a statement on Twitter(X) addressing claims made by an anonymous source. Multiple media outlets in attendance at the ChinaJoy 2024 event last week reported on the alleged Phantom Bladed Zero developer who made controversial statements towards Xbox.
The studio issued a statement on Twitter(x), reaffirming their commitment to making the game widely available.
"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 began with a statement from an anonymous source—who claims to be a developer on Phantom Blade Zero—published in a Chinese news outlet. Directly translated by fans, it reads "no one shows any interest in Xbox." The news spread, with outlets like Aroged reporting that Xbox is "a platform that does not find demand, especially in Asia." However, 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 grain of truth in 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. In contrast, 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 honed in on the fact 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.
