You could easily mistake upcoming action game Blood Message for a first-party PlayStation title. Set in Ancient China, it blends exciting set-piece sequences with brutal combat and cutscenes with a high level of cinematic flair.
I went hands-on with an early slice of the game at Summer Game Fest 2026 and had the chance to exclusively chat with senior director of global publishing Jeff Hu, who describes it as a "dream" for developer 24 Entertainment.
"We are all gamers. We grew up with so many great titles," he begins. "To make a AAA game is every team member's dream, and, after many years experiencing other titles, we thought it would be a good time for us to try to make a game like that."
He explains that the overall direction was chosen because it is "the way that's best to tell this story," but still doesn't shy away from mentioning a few inspirations.
"We are all fans of so many great titles, like Uncharted, like The Last of Us," he says. "Different members have their own favorites, but we're all inspired by different great titles."
Universal appeal
Blood Message follows an anonymous soldier in the late Tang Dynasty, roughly 850AD, but Hu argues that its themes are timeless and will resonate with players around the world today.
"This story happened just in the Tang Dynasty, and this story is so magical," he explains.
"[The hero travels with his son] from the Chinese West to the East to deliver a very important message about their victory to the to the capital of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an, so we can use different landscapes and let players experience different elements.
"We chose a very unique angle in that we chose a nameless soldier itself to tell this story, and also combine that with the emotional bond between father and son. There are so many universal emotions."
In between the action-packed chases, tense stealth sections, and bloody, all-out brawls, I really appreciated the unique aesthetic of the game's world. The deserts of China are rarely explored in video games, and I imagine its clay huts and lightweight robes will come as a surprise to many players.
Hu is careful to clarify that the game isn't intended to be a history lesson.
"We picked this story not because we're trying to make a Western audience learn something or understand something," he says. "We believe this is a good story to connect with human nature."
Still, he does reckon that audiences less familiar with the setting will "have a better understanding of ancient China" after fully "experiencing the story."
You might have to wait a while before diving in, though, as Blood Message doesn't have a release date yet. The team has confirmed that it will come to both PC and consoles.
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