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The First Descendant outlines a ‘completing the game’ roadmap with a wide-ranging overhaul
Nexon developers have outlined a 'completing the game' roadmap for their looter shooter, The First Descendant, acknowledging player frustrations with content and endgame balance. The plan includes an overhaul of core game fundamentals, improvements to the main story and early missions, and new content for Season 4 such as Onslaught Mode and a mega dungeon.
Saudi Investment Firm Has Increased Its Stake In Capcom
Saudi investment firm Electronic Gaming Development Company (EGDC) has increased its stake in Capcom to 6.04%, making it the fourth-largest shareholder. This investment, valued at approximately $617 million, follows EGDC's previous acquisition of a 5.03% stake. Capcom also announced plans to reveal more games before the end of fiscal year 2027, focusing on both new and established franchises.
South Korean amusement park opens up a MapleStory-themed land
Nexon has opened a MapleStory-themed land called Maple Island at Lotte World Adventure in Seoul, South Korea. The attraction features four rides, themed merchandise, food, and beverages, aiming to provide experiences beyond the online MMORPG. A "MapleStory in Lotte World" festival is also being held with parades and special decorations.
MMO Week in Review: Queen Devona
This week's MMO news roundup covers updates for Guild Wars Reforged, layoffs at MechWarrior studio Piranha Games, and a potential acquisition of Epic Games by Disney. The article also touches on political discussions surrounding game shutdowns in Europe and new early access dates for Heroes of Might and Magic Olden Era.
ARC Raiders Team Wants “Better Rope Physics” to Trip ARCs Like Star Wars’ AT-ATs
Embark Studios is exploring advanced physics for ARC Raiders, with lead researcher Martin Singh-Blom citing Star Wars' Hoth scene as inspiration for potential rope physics. The studio aims to balance pushing technological boundaries with practical game design needs, while also focusing on AI integration and refining crafting systems.
Warframe community director says 'nothing in our games will be AI-generated, ever'
Digital Extremes community director Megan Everett stated that no AI-generated content will ever be used in Warframe or Soulframe, emphasizing a commitment to human-made assets. While some publishers like Nexon have praised AI for cost savings, Everett expressed strong personal opposition to the technology due to its potential to deceive and frustrate.
"Completing the Game" is the radical plan for The First Descendant after 2 years, and the latest roadmap cooked up by Nexon just days after it called the game a flop
Nexon is implementing a "Completing the Game" roadmap for its looter shooter, The First Descendant, to address player frustrations with content, endgame balance, and the learning curve. The plan includes an overhaul of core gameplay systems, farming loops, and the endgame, with the first phase expected in the summer Season 4 update.
Nexon is taking on Overwatch publishing duties in Korea ‘within the year’
Nexon and Blizzard Entertainment have partnered to publish Overwatch on PC in Korea, with operations beginning later this year. Nexon will handle live service and business operations tailored to the Korean market, while Blizzard will continue overall game development. This partnership follows a previous deal where Nexon began publishing for the StarCraft IP in Korea.
The First Descendant Gets Overhaul Roadmap Following Nexon’s “No Staying Power” Assessment
Nexon has acknowledged that The First Descendant failed to maintain player retention, citing deeper design issues rather than superficial problems. The development team has outlined a three-phase "Completing the Game" roadmap to address core gameplay systems, improve the main story and early progression, and add new content. This overhaul follows mixed player reception since the game's launch in June 2024 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.
Blizzard continues to hire for what appears to be its StarCraft open-world shooter with Nexon
Blizzard Entertainment and Nexon are continuing development on a StarCraft open-world shooter, with Blizzard actively hiring for a Lead Designer, Innovation role for the Unreal Engine title. This collaboration was confirmed earlier this year, suggesting a potential revival for the StarCraft franchise beyond its traditional real-time strategy roots.
The Best Android Racing Games – Updated!
This article ranks the best racing games available on Android devices, excluding drag racers and focusing on titles where steering and variety are key. It highlights games like Asphalt 9: Legends, Rush Rally Origins, GRID Autosport, and Mario Kart Tour, covering a range of realism and gameplay styles.
ARC Raiders Studio’s Parent Company Wants to Use More AI to “Free” Developers to be Creative
Nexon, the parent company of Embark Studio, is discussing its strategy for using generative AI in game development. Executives Patrick Söderlund and Junghun Lee believe that understanding the challenge of AI, rather than just adopting tools, will lead to success. They emphasize that AI, when used with their proprietary 'Mono Lake Initiative' context, frees developers to focus on creative aspects rather than replacing them.
Quoteworthy
Nexon has described its upcoming game Arc Raiders as a "Trojan Horse" for its artificial intelligence development initiatives. Meanwhile, PUBG is reportedly aiming to achieve "global cultural icon" status, similar to Fortnite. The article also briefly mentions The Last of Us multiplayer.
Nexon CEO admits The First Descendant had 'no staying power,' and that can't be addressed with a quick fix: 'These are design issues that are not fixed with a patch'
Nexon CEO Junghun Lee admitted that The First Descendant suffers from fundamental design issues that cannot be fixed with simple patches, leading to a lack of player retention. The game, which saw a high of 10 million players in its first week, has since dropped to around 5,000 concurrent players on Steam, receiving a 'mixed' user rating.
Nexon agrees to publish Overwatch in Korea
Nexon has agreed to publish Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch in Korea, handling live service and business operations for the PC version expected this year. The partnership aims to deliver hyper-localized content and services tailored for Korean players, leveraging Nexon's expertise in the market and Blizzard's game development. This agreement follows recent unionization efforts at Blizzard and discussions around AI in game development.
Arc Raiders is a 'Trojan Horse' for demonstrating AI tool usage in game development, according to Nexon, after Embark built two hits at 'a fraction of the cost you’d expect'
Nexon executive chairman Patrick Söderlund discussed how Embark Studios utilized AI tools and smarter processes to develop games like The Finals and Arc Raiders at a significantly lower cost than typical AAA titles. Söderlund emphasized that understanding how and why to use AI is crucial for success in game development, a philosophy he aims to implement across Nexon's teams.
Nexon calls Arc Raiders a "Trojan Horse" for proving controversial AI tools can build triple-A hits with smaller teams
Nexon, the owner of developer Embark, is promoting the use of AI tools in game development, citing Arc Raiders as a successful 'Trojan Horse' example. Despite initial controversy over AI-generated voices, Nexon president Junghun Lee highlighted how AI can free up development teams to focus on innovation. Embark CEO Patrick Soderlund stated that both Arc Raiders and The Finals were built with significantly fewer people and at a fraction of the cost of typical AAA games.
Nexon plans multiple Dungeon & Fighter titles and an AI tool to help devs ‘create with context’
Nexon announced plans to expand the Dungeon & Fighter intellectual property with multiple new titles, including an idle RPG and Dungeon & Fighter Classic. The company also revealed its new AI tool, Mono Lake, designed to provide development teams with player interaction data to guide game design and live service support.
'Did Not Work': The First Descendant Considered a Failure by Its Developer
Nexon has acknowledged that its live-service title, The First Descendant, has failed to retain players, less than two years after its release on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC. Company president Junghun Lee stated that the game suffered from "retention challenges" and "design issues that are not fixed with a patch." Despite a strong launch on PC with over 264,000 concurrent players, interest quickly waned, with player counts dropping significantly post-release.
ARC Raiders bosses double down on using AI in game dev: ‘More time innovating; less time writing code’
Embark Studios and its parent company Nexon are doubling down on the use of AI in game development, emphasizing efficiency and cost reduction. Executives Patrick Söderlund and Junghun Lee believe AI tools free developers to focus more on innovation and less on coding, though they maintain that creative content remains the work of human developers. This approach has been applied to games like ARC Raiders and The Finals, reportedly built with fewer people and at a lower cost.