NetEase has announced their next big global game, and it’s one we think a lot of gamers will be really curious about.
The game is called Blood Message, planned for consoles and PC. As reported by Gematsu, NetEase Games shared this overview:
Blood Message is a cinematic, single-player, linear story-driven action adventure currently in development for PC and consoles. Powered by Unreal 5 Engine and enhanced with proprietary tools and technologies by the studio, Blood Message is NetEase Games’ first AAA single-player title, blending brutal survival combat with profound Eastern storytelling.
They go on to explain that the game is set in the final years of the Tang Dynasty, and it certainly sounds like it will actually be the story of the end of that dynasty itself. The story involves a father and son who starts an uprising in Shazhou (now known as Dunhuang), and makes their way to the dynasty’s capital in Chang’an (now known as Xi’an). We won’t overspeculate on the story here, but we suspect Blood Message is inspired by, if not directly based on, the An Lushan rebellion.
But it shouldn’t be that hard to sell gamers on the appeal of this anymore. Following the success of Black Myth Wukong and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, they mythology and history of ancient China is a popular setting for modern day single player action games.
To distinguish itself from the rest, Blood Message promises these features:
- Narrative-driven gameplay anchored in cinematic storytelling.
- Visceral, realistic combat blending stealth and survival mechanics.
- A deeply emotional journey exploring themes of family, honor, sacrifice, and cultural identity.
- Expansive landscapes inspired by the diverse terrains of East and Central Asia, such as Dunhuang (敦煌).
The game will be published by Thunder Fire Studio, who had previously published the roguelike shooter hybrid FragPunk. And just like FragPunk’s Bad Guitar Games, Blood Message is being made by a new studio named 24 Entertainment Lin’an. This is another up and coming Chinese video game studio, based in Lin’an, Hangzhou.
It doesn’t sound like this game is close to release anytime soon, so it may not arrive until the 10th generation of consoles from PlayStation and Xbox is finally here. That certainly suggests the wave of new games set in ancient China, and also new Chinese game developers going global, isn’t about to end anytime soon.
In the meantime, you can watch the announcement trailer below.
