ENTERTAINMENT

After roughly a decade in development, Lost Soul Aside is finally scheduled for a launch. Originally the passion project of solo developer Yang Bing, Lost Soul Aside has grown to become a major Sony-published title under the company’s ‘China Hero Project,’ with Bing now the founder and CEO of Shanghai-based studio Ultizero Games.

With a release date of May 30 on PlayStation 5 and PC closing in, IGN had the opportunity to sit down with Yang Bing to discuss the long road to launch. So many years of development went into this single-player action game, escalating from a solo creator’s vision to a trailer reveal at Sony’s State of Play. Through it all the hype has grown, with some calling Lost Soul Aside an exciting mix of Final Fantasy characters and Devil May Cry combat — even from the moment Yang Bing’s initial reveal video went viral in 2016.

With the help of a translator, IGN asked Yang Bing about the early origins of Lost Soul Aside, its inspirations, what challenges the team has faced over the years, and much more.

It’s been almost nine years since the first glimpse of Lost Soul Aside, on your YouTube channel. How did you get started on this project, and how old were you at the time?

Yang Bing: So I remember our first promotional video was released in 2016. I was born in 1990, so when the video was released, I was about 26 years old, so that was actually when the project started. I remember [Lost Soul Aside] probably started around, at the end of 2014, the beginning of 2015.

What were the original inspirations behind Lost Soul Aside? Has that ever shifted over the course of development?

Yang Bing: So personally, I have loved playing games since I was young. And of course, back at that time, I had some personal favorite genres. Later on, [my] passion towards games wasn’t changed, didn’t change a lot. So I wanted to develop something that I really like. And then the tools and game engines were relatively mature. So that was the beginning of [Lost Soul Aside].

The overall style and then, the inspiration, has not changed that much. From the beginning, the beginning of 2016 until now, about like nine years or 10 years, it continues to feature a blend of fantasy elements with some realistic visuals, characterized by this real-life aesthetic. So this style has not changed. The combat style has also consistently leaned towards high speed and flashy action. So this is something that we have been sticking to for all these years. During this development process, we, of course, continued to see some new and excellent works, which maybe we got some influence through, [on] our thought along the way. So from the beginning, this personal trailer gradually evolved into a more mature and well-run version, I should say.

How did the Sony collaboration come around? Can you describe what that first meeting was like, and how the partnership has been since?

Yang Bing: Well, actually, back to 2016, I had some contact [with a] PlayStation colleague. That was, for me, a turning point, which I think is quite remarkable. So when I released this promotional video, I got a message from a colleague at PlayStation, who said that they wanted to discuss the project in detail and explore a potential collaboration. Back at that time, I was still in South Korea, and I felt really grateful for this opportunity. At the end of 2016, I went back to China and then immediately, I went to PlayStation, Sony in Shanghai, visited them, and met with them in person. And so from that time, we kind of started our collaboration.

In recent years, the collaboration has been continuously deepening. Initially, it started with the Sony China Hero Project. And then, later on, we kind of joined this collaboration with Sony, and then Sony officially announced that it’s going to be published by PlayStation.

What would you say makes Lost Soul Aside stand out from other games in its genre?

Yang Bing: So the play will be very smooth, because we think that when the players play, they will likely be impressed by the overall operability of the game, including the combat experience and the interaction with the environment. It will be very smooth. And in order to achieve this kind of smooth feeling, we actually try our best, utmost, to ensure that the player’s input receives immediate feedback. For example, all the weapons can be switched seamlessly.

Additionally, the combat for this kind of skill combination can be combined seamlessly as well. All the skills can be canceled as well. We have spent a significant amount of time ensuring that everything flows as smoothly as possible. So, this is something that I think will impress players the most. And then, furthermore, the intent, our intention, is to shape the two main characters, the combination, Kaser and Arena. So we can provide players with the option like turning Arena into a weapon and other elements, to help Kaser fight in battle. [He] can provide some help during his journey. So I think that all these elements combining together can become a very outstanding and recognizable aspect for our game.

Where did the concept for Arena, the transforming dragon companion Kazer has, come from?

Yang Bing: So that kind of idea and thought actually started at a very, very, very early stage, even before this project started back to 2016. So, I remember I watched some YouTube video… there’s a special effects creator who makes a segment featuring a crystal that can [transform] into various weapons, a shade, and many other things. Combined with my idea, I always thought about this idea, about a dragon [that] can transform, all kinds of shapes. Even before this game project has started, I had the idea about something like this.

Other than this dragon, I was thinking that the protagonist has a companion, which at that time is somewhat similar to a dragon-like creature that can transform into a weapon, [to help] the character, assisting in the battle. So I always had this kind of idea from the beginning, I had the idea to incorporate [it] into this project. This idea that the protagonist has a dragon partner that can become a weapon, this idea actually, I had it since 2014.

What ideas and themes does Lost Soul Aside center on, that you want players to take away from this game?

Yang Bing: So, the core theme primarily just revolves around Kaser, the protagonist, and his companion Arena, and they embark on various adventures together. And of course, during that process they face numerous challenges, including traps and a variety of formidable enemies. So the focus is on Kaser, who starts off as an ordinary individual, an ordinary person. And then after he meets Arena, and then later, they continuously establish some kind of relationship with other characters. So in this adventure, we want the players to experience the growth of the characters, transforming from ordinary people, or him from an ordinary person at the beginning, to a hero who can save the world by the end. Of course, saving the world was not his initial intention, but players can gradually and consciously embrace the idea of saving the world and defeating villains throughout the process.

What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced, working on this one game for so long?

Yang Bing: So, well, it started from the idea, [my] personal idea, and then it’s a promotion video, it’s a conceptual idea. And then we have to accumulate experience and to enhance the development experience during all this process and all these years. So, I think this is very essential, for developing this kind of skill and type of project, this is one thing. And then the other challenge for me, I should say this because for me, I started from my personal ideas. I work. I used to work just by myself. And later on, I continuously [accumulated] knowledge on how to collaborate with other members as a team, with the help of Sony PlayStation, and now because we have established a team. So it requires everyone to come together to make the idea happen. So for me, this is constantly a learning process, and I need to overcome this challenge to make the project a successful one.

You’re planning to launch day one for both PC and PS5? What was the reasoning behind targeting both for the launch, over just PlayStation?

Yang Bing: So, launch for PC as well. I think it’s a very new experience for players and it would be quite intriguing for them, I think. So this is the final stage, and the final decision was made during the communication process between me and Sony. So I feel that everyone cooperated in a very good manner and harmoniously throughout all the process.

After working on Lost Soul Aside for so long, are you excited for whatever comes next for yourself and Ultizero Games?

Yang Bing: Well, so at this stage, and then both my team, and myself, and the PlayStation team, we’re continuously communicating with each other about the follow-up plans. I’m sorry, I cannot provide a very clear answer at this moment.

But you’re excited to get Lost Soul Aside out there?

Yang Bing: Yes.

Lost Soul Aside launches on PS5 and PC on May 30, 2025.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

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Oni Press has found success recently with their reboot of the iconic EC Comics brand. That line of comics is set to expand this summer with the debut of Blood Type, a vampire-themed series that spins out of the pages of the anthology book Epitaphs From the Abyss.

IGN can exclusively debut the cover art for Blood Type #1. Check it out below:

Blood Type is the first in a planned series of EC Comics spinoffs launching in Summer 2025. The book is written by Corinna Bechko (Cruel Universe, Green Lantern: Earth One) and illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino (Gideon Falls, Old Man Logan), with colors by Dave Stewart (Hellboy). The first issue features covers by Sorrentino, Miguel Mercado (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Albert Monteys (Universe!), and Naomi Franq (Black Hammer: Barbalien).

Here’s Oni’s official synopsis of the series:

WHEN YOU’RE A VAMPIRE, EVERYBODY SUCKS . . . SOONER OR LATER! Meet Ada, an immortal vampire whose misdeeds have landed her on the doorstep of an idyllic Caribbean resort. . . . An island paradise teeming with wealthy tourists and superstitious locals—an ample food supply for the thirsty vamp looking to get away from it all! But as Ada stalks the boundaries of her new hunting ground, she’ll soon become embroiled in a deadly game of cat and mouse by moonlight . . . as an older, wiser, and entirely different kind of predator reveals its own carnal hunger for greed and power. Who will survive when a brand-new kind of BLOOD TYPE declares war on a cunning bloodsucker with nothing left to lose . . . and what will be left of them?!

“Horror has just always been where I’ve felt most at home, something Andrea and I have in common,” said Bechko in Oni’s press release. “With Blood Type we’ve cooked up a wicked tale that expands on a character I fell in love with as soon as I put her on the page. Does she love me back? Not a chance, and that’s her charm. She’s a vampire, but that doesn’t mean she sparkles or is ready for romance. She is, however, ready to take over a tropical paradise.”

“I think horror is just my thing,” said Sorrentino. “I’ve worked on many different things like superheroes and sci-fi in my career, but when it’s up to horror, this is where I feel at home …The opportunity to connect with the deepest fears of the reader through some imagery is a great and satisfying challenge. This is why when I’ve been asked if I was up to collaborate with EC Comics (one of the greatest of the comic horror producers) for two short stories first and then the launch of this exciting new limited series, it has been an honor for me. I can’t wait to join Corinna Bechko and my long time collaborator Dave Stewart on colors for this new, amazing project. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I can’t wait for readers to put their eyes on what we are doing here!”

Blood Type #1 will be released on June 18, 2025. Oni will also reprint the original Blood Type short story in the upcoming Free Comic Book Day 2025 special EC Presents: Blood Type #0.

For more on what’s happening in the comic book world, check out what to expect from Marvel in 2025 and what to expect from DC in 2025.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.