Report: Ballad of Antara Might Be Dead According To Its Own Artist
It looks like Ballad of Antara might be joining the massive graveyard of Soulslikes that never actually made it to launch.
I remember seeing Ballad of Antara back during the Sony State of Play. It looked like a solid, if slightly generic, fantasy action game that checked all the right boxes. It had cool swords, dark environments, and that vague storytelling we all seem to love these days. But since late 2024, the developers have gone completely radio silent. Usually, that means they are crunching, but in this industry, it often means something much worse. Now, it seems we have our answer from someone who actually worked on the game.
The Tweet That Killed The Hype
The news comes from a concept artist going by the handle @yuehai2000 (ChangLiu2000) on Twitter. They recently posted some character art that, frankly, looked fantastic. The designs were sharp and fit that dark fantasy aesthetic perfectly.
Naturally, people in the replies started asking where these characters were from. One user asked, "Wait this is peak what game is she from," and the artist replied with zero hesitation: "A canceled game project titled ballad of Antara."
That is not a cryptic hint. That is a eulogy.
Silence Is Loud
Now, I have to point out that there has been absolutely no official word from the publisher or the main development studio. I looked everywhere. Their socials are ghosts and the press releases have dried up.
However, when a concept artist starts posting their work online and explicitly calls the project "canceled" in the past tense, it is rarely a mistake. Artists typically have NDAs that prevent them from sharing this stuff until the project is either released or officially dead. The fact that they are sharing it now suggests they have been given the green light to put it in their portfolio because the game is never coming out.
Another One Bites The Dust
It is a damn shame if this is true. The market is flooded with Soulslikes, sure, but high-budget ones from China like Black Myth: Wukong have shown there is a massive appetite for this stuff. Ballad of Antara looked like it had potential.
I am still waiting for an official "heartbroken to announce" JPG from the studio to confirm it, but I wouldn't hold my breath for a release date anytime soon. When the people making the art say it is over, it is usually over.
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