With Tides of Annihilation, Eclipse Glow Games is taking a familiar foundation (Arthurian legend) and reworking it into something faster, more stylized, and system-driven. The game blends high-fidelity visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5 with a combat approach inspired by modern character action design, while also experimenting with a “single-player with multiplayer feel” structure.

As a debut project from a newly formed Chinese studio, the team is balancing ambition with technical realities, targeting PC and consoles while building out internal pipelines, optimization strategies, and collaborative workflows with platform holders. At the same time, the project leans heavily on research into historical material and cultural context, using Arthurian mythology as a starting point rather than a strict blueprint.

We spoke with Ary Chen, Co-CEO of Eclipse Glow Games, in person at GDC via an onsite translator, about why the team chose UE5, how they’re approaching performance across platforms, and how Tides of Annihilation aims to reinterpret classic legend through modern action gameplay.

What led the team to choose Unreal Engine 5 for development?

Ary Chen, Co-CEO of Eclipse Glow Games: The team had rich experience in developing other PC games, and those experiences brought their expertise in using UE5. They are really good at using this foundation, and technology-wise, it suits the game very well.

For a visually ambitious game targeting multiple platforms, what challenges have you faced with optimization?

Ary Chen: As a newly formed studio, this is our first title. Because we always want to bring out the best visual and tech quality of the game, improvement and optimization are key.

We will be launching on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. So throughout the development process, we are continuously optimizing all technical and visual aspects.

At the same time, we are improving our own technologies and expertise. We are also collaborating with hardware and platform partners to see how we can make the best use of the hardware itself.

How are you approaching differences across platforms and evolving hardware?

Ary Chen: We are constantly optimizing the build to adapt to different varieties of these consoles. Because we have experience developing other PC and console games, at the beginning of development we already set up strict rules for how we want to adapt to different platforms.

As we see more new technologies coming out from platforms and hardware, we continue to evaluate and adapt to them.

What inspired the game’s Arthurian setting and narrative direction?

Ary Chen: We are all huge fans of action-adventure games, and we also have experience developing other action games. This time, we wanted to bring out something unique, interesting, and creative.

We wanted to create a single-player game that has a multiplayer experience. That’s why we created a system where Gwendolyn fights alongside other knights. The King Arthurian story and the Round Table became a natural fit for our setting.

We really respect the original King Arthurian legends and British culture. During development, we referred to many books and materials and also consulted experts on British culture and Arthurian legends.

At the same time, we are not copying it one-to-one. We will have our own interpretation and narrative, so players can expect something new.

The combat has drawn comparisons to character action games. Were there specific inspirations?

Ary Chen: There are many great titles out there, and we are huge fans of those games as well. Seeing their success is very inspiring to us.

At the same time, we want to create an original IP and inject new ideas into the genre.

There seems to be renewed interest in fast-paced character action games. How do you view that shift?

Ary Chen: Whether it’s Souls-like games or action games, there may be shifts in player taste. But ultimately, these are all games that players love.

For us, we focus on what we are good at creating. We are very passionate about action-adventure games, and that’s what we love to build. If we create something we truly love, we hope players will love it as well.

What advice would you give to developers looking to start their own studio?

Ary Chen: Don’t give up.

We all have a passion for creating games, and when we bring something to market and players enjoy it, that is very inspiring for us.

Continuing to work on what you love is the key.

Ary Chen, Co-CEO of Eclipse Glow Games, Game Developer

Interview conducted by David Jagneaux

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