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Phantom Blade Zero will reveal Donnie Yen’s hidden kung fu role on August 12

The trailer will identify Yen as Mó Yuan, Soul's father, while S-Game credits him with guiding the game's fight choreography and performing motion capture for the role.

Phantom Blade Zero‘s August 12 pre-order trailer will reveal that Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen plays Mó Yuan, the father of protagonist Soul. S-Game will also credit Yen as a creative consultant who has guided the game’s kung fu choreography since 2023, and says he performed motion capture for Mó Yuan.

A June PlayStation State of Play teaser showed a masked fighter carrying a sword in one hand and a baby in the other. The longer trailer will finally identify the man behind the mask, showing Mó Yuan in a fiery confrontation and giving the project a martial-arts connection that goes far beyond a simple voice or likeness performance.

Yen’s film career includes Rogue One, John Wick 4, Hero, Iron Monkey, and Once Upon a Time in China 2. Since 2008, he has also portrayed the kung fu grandmaster Ip Man in multiple films. Phantom Blade Zero is also Yen’s first video game role; before joining S-Game’s project, he had been attached to a Sleeping Dogs movie adaptation that never got off the ground. For a game built around fast, stylized martial-arts action, his involvement in the choreography is a fitting secret to pull out before launch.

S-Game’s trailer description also thanks Yen and his stunt team for bringing authentic kung fu to Phantom Blade Zero.

Kenji Tanigaki was an early clue

The connection was hiding in plain sight. In a May 24, 2023 PlayStation Blog post, S-Game founder Soulframe Liang named Kenji Tanigaki as Phantom Blade Zero‘s action director.

Tanigaki has been part of Yen’s stunt team for roughly 30 years and has worked with him on at least a dozen projects. His role on the game offered a quiet link to Yen’s production circle, even though S-Game kept Yen’s own involvement private until now.

Phantom Blade Zero’s next dates

Phantom Blade Zero is scheduled to launch on October 29, 2026, after S-Game delayed the game for extra polish. A dedicated August 17 State of Play presentation is also scheduled to show more of the combat, character builds, and dark wuxia setting. The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. PT / 10:00 p.m. ET.

Pre-orders are available through the game’s Steam page, which includes bonus items alongside the purchase options.

What do you think of Donnie Yen’s role in Phantom Blade Zero? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow along for more coverage on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

Phantom Blade 0

Framed for the death of his master and left with a ruined heart, Soul has sixty-six days to live. Alone and hunted by his former comrades, he moves through a world of shifting loyalties and silent blades — determined to unravel the conspiracy that has condemned him.

Rain mixes with blood, mercy entangles with vengeance. Soul's journey is one of love, hate, and the fragile search for what it means to have a heart.

  • Genre Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
  • Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
  • Perspective Third person
  • Modes Single player
  • Release October 29, 2026
  • Publisher S-Game
  • Age Rating ESRB T

Margarita Kicevski

My job is similar to Angel's, focus on news and updates, even though most of my work is taking care of two little devils. I am here to cover when most needed, and try to deliver the best I can. It's my fault pushing Angel to reboot ConsolePCGaming.com Wish me luck <3.

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