Phantom Blade Zero has now sold 4 million copies worldwide across PS5 and PC. That's the word from S-Game via the X account dedicated to Soul's adventures, which adds that the feat was pulled off in barely 72 hours. As surprising as it may seem given how strong those numbers are, the achievement doesn't quite put Phantom Blade Zero on the level of Black Myth: Wukong, which shifted 10 million copies over the same stretch of time back in 2024.
That tells us two things. The first is that, despite the bad press it attracted, Black Myth: Wukong enjoys enormous popularity with players. Game Science's title may not have been crowned GOTY 2024, but its many strengths make for an excellent foundation for Black Myth: Zong Kui. That one won't be a direct sequel to Black Myth: Wukong, but it will carry on dipping into Chinese folklore.
China knows exactly what it's doing, and that much is certain
The second point — and we'll keep saying it — is that China is hammering on the door of the video game industry's elite. Some accuse studios from the Middle Kingdom of turning out games that look an awful lot like one another (single-player titles with undeniable technical polish, built on mechanics we've seen a thousand times over in action games), but can you really hold that against them when, for centuries, the end of the year has been marked by yet another FIFA, Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed or NBA 2K?
Either way, only yesterday Phantom Blade Zero set a new attendance record on Steam with 833,921 concurrent players. In his piece on the launch of S-Game's title, Maxime notes that analyst Daniel Camilo is wondering whether the game can reach 10 million sales. In his view, that's a realistic prospect over the long term. Matching Black Myth: Wukong and its 30 million copies sold, on the other hand, looks rather trickier.
As a reminder, in our review we awarded Phantom Blade Zero a 9.8 out of 10, noting in particular that it had the makings of a GOTY 2026. Except that GTA 6 lands on 19 November.
