South Korean agency Yonhap News spoke with Choi Moon-young, executive director of NCSOFT, responsible for the development of new games. The questions concerned both the upcoming Throne and Liberty and other projects of the company. Selected the most interesting information:
- By December 1st, players had created over 150,000 playable characters in Throne and Liberty. This amount significantly exceeded expectations, and therefore the developers added new servers several times.
- Initially, the combat system of Throne and Liberty did not involve the use of attacking skills while the character was moving. According to the authors, this was supposed to emphasize strategic battles between players. But during the May test, players reacted negatively to this combat system, after which the combat system was made more dynamic.
- Despite the distrust on the part of players, the company promises to avoid the P2W monetization system, as well as to conduct an open dialogue with the audience. For example, “producer letters” explain what changes have happened to the game and answer player questions. Through sincerity, the company hopes to earn the trust of users step by step.
- NCSOFT plans to create a full-fledged Throne and Liberty franchise, and events Project E will take place in the same world. Currently, a small number of people are working on the new game, and the project is in the planning stage of key elements, including the genre. The plot and subtleties of the world are already ready, so various media mixes are planned in addition to games.
- The LLL shooter is currently in the testing phase of key elements, and the demo shown at G-Star 2023 already contained most of the planned gameplay elements.
- Battle Crush is planned to be released in early 2024 after a second round of testing. The developers hope that the game will be able to develop in an eSports direction.
- In addition to the already announced games, NCSOFT has a number of unannounced projects in various genres. The developers will talk about them as they are ready. But all of them should be released in the next five years.
- Some people compare Project M to games like Detroit: Become Human, but it’s not just a game that focuses on choice-based story paths. Deduction and exploration of the world, as well as the active actions of the player, will play a key role in the development of the plot.
- Cooperation with Sony Interactive Entertainment is not the company’s only agreement. NCSOFT already has a number of agreements and plans to expand them with both South Korean companies and international partners.
- This year, the company’s financial stability has deteriorated due to falling sales of the Lineage franchise, but the company is confident that 2024 will be successful as a number of games are being prepared for release: Throne and Liberty, Battle Crush and Project BSS.