Phantom Blade Zero Director Follows Advice from GOTY Winner Expedition 33

Phantom Blade Zero Director Adopts “Less is More” Strategy from Expedition 33 Team

The development of Phantom Blade Zero, one of the most anticipated action RPGs of 2026, has taken a fascinating turn following a high-level exchange between industry peers. “Soulframe” Liang, the director and CEO of S-Game, recently revealed that he sought advice from the team at Sandfall Interactive, the creators of the breakout hit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

The Golden Rule: “Delete to Polish”

Fresh off their historic sweep at The Game Awards 2025, where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was crowned Game of the Year, the Sandfall team shared a counter-intuitive but vital secret to their success. According to Liang, their most important advice for the final stretch of development was simple: “The most important thing is to delete things.”

Liang explained that Sandfall encouraged him to be brave enough to cut non-essential content—side quests, redundant mechanics, or areas that lacked confidence—to focus exclusively on polishing the “core” of the game. This philosophy ensures that the final product is a dense, high-quality experience rather than a bloated one filled with filler.

Avoiding the “Open-World Bloat”

This advice resonates with the design philosophy behind Expedition 33, which was praised for its tight narrative and lack of “busy work.” Liang noted that for a hero like Soul, who has only 66 days to live in the game’s story, it makes little sense to engage in trivial tasks like finding a missing pet. By cutting these “unnecessary parts,” S-Game aims to:

• Distill the Vision: Focus on the “Kungfupunk” aesthetic and cinematic combat.
• Ensure Optimization: Reduce technical debt by focusing on fewer, more polished assets.
• Respect Player Time: Deliver a meaningful experience that prioritizes impact over length.

Release Date Confirmed

Following the buzz at The Game Awards, S-Game has officially locked in the launch date for Phantom Blade Zero. The game is scheduled to arrive on September 9, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and PC (Steam/Epic Games Store). The developer remains confident that this “streamlined” approach will help the title live up to the massive expectations set by its early trailers.

Seeing a developer admit that “deleting art” is the path to greatness is incredibly refreshing in an era where “100-hour playtimes” are often used as a hollow marketing bullet point. Sandfall Interactive proved with Expedition 33 that a focused, 30-hour masterpiece is worth more than a 100-hour slog, and “Soulframe” Liang is wise to listen. Phantom Blade Zero already has some of the most fluid combat we have ever seen in the genre; if they can trim the fat and ensure that every second of gameplay feels as sharp as Soul’s blade, they might just have another GOTY contender on their hands. Quality over quantity is the mantra for 2026, and we are here for it.

 Origin: gamingbolt