During Summer Game Fest, we got a closer look at Netease’s first major single-player game.
In mid-2025, Netease announced Blood Message, its first AAA single-player game, which is set in an extremely intriguing setting that hasn’t yet received much attention in this part of the world.
The story revolves around a simple man who, during the Tang Dynasty, is chosen as a messenger to carry an important message across the country. As part of the Summer Game Fest, further details about this visually stunning story-driven game are now being revealed.
You can watch the new story trailer here:
Historical China with a Strong Story Focus
Blood Message is alinear action-adventure that throws you into a historical setting. It is being developed by 24 Entertainment Lin’an and Netease Games, who are best known for Free2Play multiplayer games such as Naraka Bladepoint and Marvel Rivals.
With their new title, they are diving into the world of a story-focused single-player game for the first time. At a preview event, the developers already revealed to us that this was a long-cherished dream and that they themselves love story-driven games like The Last of Us or God of War.
That’s why the team has focused entirely on storytelling and, in doing so,has done away with elements like an open world. While there will be alternative routes and larger sections to explore, at its core, the adventure follows a clear, linear structure.
Fantasy influences or elaborate mythology also play no role in Blood Message.Instead, the game focuses on a realistic, authentic setting. It doesn’t tell a romanticized revenge story, but rather the multifaceted struggle for survival of an unsung hero.
To achieve this, the team conducted extensive historical research, but is also aware that the fun of the game should not suffer from an obsession with historical detail. Balancing the two was one of the biggest challenges. We’ll summarize the historical background for you below, but first let’s take a look at the gameplay.
Cinematic Gameplay in Sleek UE5 Graphics
In addition to the story trailer, we were also shown 15 minutes of gameplay in advance, which treated us to amix of combat, stealth sections, and story interludes
While the linear approach is evident here, there’s still no shortage of variety. In the video, our protagonist sneaks and fights his way through Shazhou City, an oasis town at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. Every now and then, he finds clues in the form of letters or objects, consults with his companion, or eavesdrops on Tubo soldiers, the invaders of the Tibetan Empire.
However, he cannot always avoid confrontations, leading to violent clashes on multiple occasions. Blood Message stages the fights with great flair, combining attacks of varying intensity with evasive counters and Quick Time Events.
With no UI and leveraging the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, the gameplay is virtually indistinguishable from a cutscene. The fact that the game doesn’t skimp on the blood only adds to the experience. And Blood Message has every right to do so, as the historical references give a sense of just how dire the situation in Shazhou was during that century.
A Story About Father and Son
The backdrop for the story of Blood Message is the creepingdecline of the Tang Dynasty in the 9th century. The regions of Shazhou and Guazhou are occupied by the Tibetan Empire and, around 848 A.D., descend into a bloody civil war, as their inhabitants remain loyal to their old homeland.
General Zhang Yichao exploits this chaos and instigates a surprise uprising that drives the Tibetan garrisons out of Shazhou and the surrounding regions. Now, however, he faces an entirely new problem: The emperor in the distant capital of Chang’an is still unaware of this victory, and thousands of kilometers of enemy territory—stretching across vast sandy deserts—lie between the regions.
To deliver the message discreetly, he chooses a risky tactic. He assembles ten different groups of messengers, consisting not of soldiers, but of ordinary citizens and monks. One of them is the nameless hero from Blood Message, who sets out on the dangerous journey together with his son.
We haven’t received a release date for Blood Message yet, but we do know that the story-driven adventure will be released for both PC and consoles. It remains to be seen exactly how it will play out and whether the story’s details will be as captivating as the developers hope. But the foundation certainly looks promising.
You can find out what else was revealed at Summer Game Fest in the link box above. Also, keep an eye out for our own FYNG show.
