NVIDIA and Epic Games Help Tides of Annihilation Developers Improve Giant Knight Performance Ahead of Summer Demo

Chinese developer Eclipse Glow Games has shared a new behind the scenes video for Tides of Annihilation, giving players a closer look at the technical work being done to improve performance in its upcoming single player fantasy action adventure game. The latest update focuses heavily on optimization, with the studio revealing a deep technical partnership with Epic Games and NVIDIA to address demanding performance challenges seen in earlier gameplay footage.

Tides of Annihilation has already attracted attention for its cinematic combat, Arthurian fantasy setting, and massive boss encounters. However, some previous footage also showed visible frame rate drops during large scale battles, especially during the Giant Knight encounter. These colossal enemies are one of the game’s biggest visual selling points, but they also create serious technical challenges due to their scale, animation complexity, and environmental interaction.

According to Eclipse Glow Games, Epic Games helped the team build a new hierarchical mounting solution for the Giant Knight’s Nanite mesh. This optimization was designed to improve how the massive character model is handled during gameplay, reducing unnecessary workload and helping the game maintain smoother performance during one of its most demanding encounters.

Epic also assisted with CPU and GPU performance analysis, helping the development team identify bottlenecks in texture maps, gameplay logic, and animation systems. By applying tighter control across these areas, Eclipse Glow Games was able to reduce computation costs and improve the frame rate during the Giant Knight boss fight. The studio also worked closely with NVIDIA beyond the previously announced DLSS and path tracing support. Eclipse Glow Games says the partnership is focused on delivering a solid gameplay experience across multiple platforms, with NVIDIA expected to continue helping through driver level optimizations as development moves closer to launch.

This type of collaboration is important for a game like Tides of Annihilation. The project is not just relying on standard action combat. It is building around large environments, spectral ally systems, heavy visual effects, and huge roaming enemies that players can scale and explore. For PC and console players, performance stability will be critical if the game wants to deliver its cinematic ambition without sacrificing responsiveness during combat.

While the release window remains unknown, Eclipse Glow Games confirmed that a hands on event will take place this summer, with registration open to all players. Based on the studio’s wording, this sounds closer to a playable public demo than a limited event build available only at physical showcases. With Summer Game Fest approaching, it would not be surprising if the studio uses that stage to reveal more details about the demo or broader launch plans.

Tides of Annihilation was first revealed during PlayStation State of Play in February 2025. The game takes inspiration from Arthurian legend and reimagines it through a post apocalyptic version of modern London, devastated by an invasion from the mystical realm of Avalon. Players take on the role of Gwendolyn, the last surviving inhabitant of London, as she searches for her sister and uncovers the truth behind the supernatural disaster.

Her journey will take players across the ruins of London and into Avalon itself, where she must confront Mordred, the game’s central antagonist, as well as powerful demigods connected to Morgan le Fay. This blend of modern ruins, mythological fantasy, and cinematic boss encounters gives Tides of Annihilation a strong visual identity in a crowded action adventure market.

Combat is built around the Dual Frontline Battle System. Gwendolyn fights alongside up to 4 spectral Knights of the Round Table, each offering different abilities such as air combos, ranged arrow attacks, wide slashes, and fast dash techniques. Players can keep 2 knights active at a time and swap them during combat, while one knight can enter a synchronized partner state to enhance Gwendolyn’s attacks and mobility.

Beyond standard encounters, the game also features colossal enemy knights roaming across the landscape. These towering enemies are not just bosses to fight from the ground. Players can climb, explore, and battle across their massive bodies, giving the game a scale driven combat system that directly explains why optimization work around the Giant Knight has become such a major focus.

Progression will include a skill tree and equipment upgrade system, although the developers have described these systems as lighter than a traditional action RPG. That suggests Eclipse Glow Games is aiming for a more focused action adventure structure, where player expression comes from knight combinations, combat timing, and encounter strategy rather than deep stat management.

Tides of Annihilation is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The PC version is already listed on Steam and the Epic Games Store. A Nintendo Switch 2 version has not been announced, although the game’s final platform plans may become clearer closer to release.

For now, the latest development update shows that Eclipse Glow Games is taking performance concerns seriously. With Epic Games helping on Unreal Engine optimization and NVIDIA supporting graphics technology and future driver level improvements, Tides of Annihilation may be in a stronger position to deliver the scale and spectacle promised by its Giant Knight encounters.

Are you more excited to test Tides of Annihilation for its Arthurian fantasy story, its spectral knight combat system, or its massive Giant Knight boss battles?