The hype was real: Developer S-Game has announced that its action debut Phantom Blade Zero has sold over 4 million copies in its first 72 hours. The figure comes from the studio's official X account, accompanied by a thank-you message to the community. A breakdown by platform is not available.
Where do the 4 Million Sales Come From?
The game is available on Steam and PlayStation 5. However, the 4 million mark also includes sales via the China-exclusive launcher Tencent WeGame. This is important for context: the figure is not directly comparable with pure Steam numbers. Previously, Alinea analyst Rhys Elliott estimated that the title likely sold over a million copies even before release. So, the success isn't coming out of nowhere.
How Big is the Steam Launch, Really?
Player numbers confirm the boom:
- Over 431,000 concurrent players directly at launch
- Peak of 833,921 concurrent players over the weekend
- Making it the biggest Steam launch of the year so far – ahead of Forza Horizon 6, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, The Blood of Dawnwalker, and Ace Combat 8
We recently reported on the record with almost 776,000 players; our report on the Steam record is available here – meanwhile, the peak has significantly surpassed that mark.
Can Phantom Blade Zero Catch Black Myth: Wukong?
Not yet. The action hit Black Myth: Wukong, also developed in China and released in 2024, reportedly reached around 30 million sales and had a launch peak of 2,415,714 concurrent players – almost triple that of Phantom Blade Zero. Nevertheless, the comparison is telling: Chinese AAA action games have established themselves as a significant force.
From our perspective, the launch is a strong signal for S-Game. The mixed critical reception apparently isn't hurting: Eurogamer, for instance, praised animations and environments but criticized a weak narrative and inconsistent boss fights. It will be interesting to see if player numbers remain stable over the first few weeks.
Are you already playing Phantom Blade Zero? Tell us in the comments what you think of the launch!
Comments (0)
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.