NetEase Games Announces First AAA Single-Player Release

In the past few years, NetEase Games has become a common name in the gaming industry. From collaborating with development teams to outright purchasing some, it has become more than just a creator of mobile and online games. Now, NetEase Games is announcing its first Single-Player release with a triple-A budget.

Blood Message is a new Single-Player, story-driven action adventure that puts you in the role of a father and son. It blends brutal survival combat with Eastern storytelling to weave a tale unlike what the gaming industry is used to. Here is what the press release says about Blood Message:

“NetEase Games and 24 Entertainment 临安 (Lin’an) Studio today unveiled Blood Message, 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.

Blood Message introduces a forgotten odyssey of loyalty and survival where players join Dunhuang’s uprising, taking control of a nameless messenger and his young son in this immersive third-person action-adventure. Caught in the crossfire of a righteous uprising and driven by loyalty to both family and country, players will embark on a perilous eastward journey to deliver a message that holds the fate of their war-torn homeland. Amidst the shifting sands of history, they will etch a final tale of loyalty.

Set during the final years of the Tang Dynasty, players will traverse a treacherous 3,000-li (around 1,000 miles) odyssey back to Chang’an, the heart of the Tang Empire. Cross lethal landscapes including desolate deserts and the vast wilderness of East and Central Asia to survive brutal sieges, unforgiving terrain, and overwhelming odds. The game’s setting in the last years of the Tang Dynasty provides a cultural landmark of Chinese history that frames the story with customs, culture, and [the] rich history of the era.”

The press release also provides the design philosophy and the overall goal of Blood Message. It states: “How can countless ordinary people—smaller than dust—leave a mark on history? The Blood Message development team offers this answer: The remembrance and praise of future generations become their eternal monument.

The game invites players to step into the shoes of unsung heroes—not emperors or generals—but ordinary people driven by extraordinary resolve. As part of a righteous uprising in Shazhou, Dunhuang, the father and son must navigate a collapsing world, torn between duty to country and love for family. When history forgets, warriors remember. The world has heard too many stories of emperors and generals—Blood Message is an ode to the unsung heroes.”

To further support this idea, Lead Producer Zhipeng Hu, also the NetEase Games Executive Vice President, commented on the announcement. He added: “We are ushering players [into] a new generation of high adventure with Blood Message. As our first completely single-player focused experience from NetEase Games, after two decades of deep dedication to the gaming industry, we are prepared to deliver a truly epic and cinematic experience for players around the world.”

I’m very curious about Blood Message. We don’t have a release date yet, but I hope that we’ll see more in regard to Blood Message either at Gamescom or The Game Awards. Even if it is just another small trailer, I’d love to get another glimpse of what this game will become.