Open-world, Sci-Fi shooters,sweeping through the online offerings of the 2023 G-STAR

The 2023  G-STAR Festival officially opened today in South Korea. For the past three years, due to the pandemic, the organizers shifted from the in-person G-Star event to an online exhibit. This year's event marks the first physical convention in nearly three years, and it stands as the largest in the history of the G-Star convention. The majority of local Korean publishers and some East Asian game developers participated in this offline event. It featured new game releases, updated versions of existing titles, and the latest news about popular works.

NCSOFT has announced their next-generation flagship game, a sci-fi open-world shooter titled “LLL," and also launched a demo for attendees to try out at the event. "LLL" is an amalgamation of open-world and first-person shooter elements in a multiplayer online game setting. Its backdrop is set in a near-future version of "Seoul," where in the test version, players are tasked with hacking into landmark South Korean buildings and breaking through blockchain barriers to complete combat missions. With South Korea's web3 transactions being notably active, the game integrates current Korean technological trends, making the combat experience more immersive for players.

As NCSOFT's most highly anticipated product of the year, "III" is led by Executive Vice President Bae Jae-Hyun, with the seeds team, which was involved in the creation of "Blade & Soul" and "Lineage 2," at the helm of its production. While the team's strengths and expertise lie in MMORPGs, taking on a first-person shooter as a new project certainly presents a distinct challenge for them.

NCSOFT emphasizes that "LLL" focuses on providing an open-world experience with substantial emphasis on multiplayer online interaction. Beyond the Seoul setting, the company plans to incorporate numerous landmark buildings from around the globe, allowing players to embark on more thrilling adventures. As of now, the official release date for the game has not been disclosed.

NCSOFT has revealed a new title derived from their popular MMORPG "Blade & Soul," known as "Project BSS." This new game is categorized as a character collection game, where players can assemble a team consisting of popular characters from the original title to embark on new, uncharted journeys alongside familiar companions. "Project BSS" is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2024 and will be available on both mobile and PC platforms.

The partnership between the developers of the trending battle royale game "Dark and Darker" and Krafton, the developers behind "PUBG Mobile," to create a mobile version of "Dark and Darker" suggests a commitment to expanding the game's reach to mobile gamers while leveraging Krafton's expertise in that market. While it's common for games to offer cross-platform play and progression these days, whether "Dark and Darker" will allow players to sync their progress across PC and the upcoming mobile version has not been specified in the information provided.

At the beginning of this year, "The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin" was unveiled, and a new trailer was also presented at this exhibition. The game's main feature is its faithful one-to-one recreation of the world depicted in the anime "The Seven Deadly Sins." The newly released video highlighted the game’s combat and story characters, achieving what can be seen as the pinnacle of anime-to-mobile game adaptation through sophisticated 2D-like visuals rendered in 3D. The Seven Deadly Sins is influential not only in the world of anime but also its mobile adaptations are highly popular with players. It is hoped that this open-world game will continue the legacy of its predecessors and bring the charm of the series to a wider audience.

Netmarble has announced a new sci-fi shooter in the "RF Online" franchise titled "RF Online Next." The original "RF Online," released globally in 2004, was a PC game that depicted a fierce resource struggle among three major races on an alien planet.

Netmarble states that this sequel, released two decades later, will maintain the original's world concept but will feature enhanced graphics. Early footage showing mechs soaring through the skies has drawn comparisons to the once-popular game "Anthem." Whether "RF Online Next" will meet a similar fate to "Anthem" remains to be seen and will likely depend on further details yet to be announced.

In addition to games that are being shown for the first time or are returning with new materials, a handful of games are also gearing up for their official launches. For example, NCSOFT's MMORPG "Sovereignty and Freedom" is set to open for pre-creation of characters on the night of November 22, with the official server launch on December 7. "Night Raven," developed with the Unreal Engine 5, has also officially announced that it will launch in the first quarter of 2024.

As one of the most influential game expos in East Asia, this G-Star event has also attracted many Chinese developers. Among the exhibitors are titles including "Wuthering Waves," "Prometheus," and "COA."

"Wuthering Waves" officials released a new character promotion video at the G-Star expo. The character, a red-haired young girl, is sweet and charming but also decisive in battle, displaying a strength far beyond what her appearance might suggest. Although she is not a five-star character, as a highly versatile four-star, she demonstrated impressive combat abilities during the last round of testing.

G-Star is still underway, and we will continue to follow the latest developments of the games exhibited at this event.