Vortex Gaming

It was another year full of masterpieces. Tekken 8, Persona 3 Reload, Helldivers 2, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth heated up the beginning of the year, followed by Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Black Myth: Wukong, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, Frostpunk 2, Metaphor: Refantazio, and Astro Bot, which is considered the most likely GOTY candidate this year, numerous masterpieces appeared, decorating this year.

What caught the eye in particular was the presence of Korean games. Stella Blade, released in April this year, showed a perfect appearance in terms of visuals, action, and story, and received worldwide acclaim, and First Descendant also exceeded 260,000 concurrent users on Steam and ranked first in Steam sales, continuing to attract attention. This advancement of Korean games is just the beginning. Next year, there will be as many Korean masterpieces released as this year.

From single-player action games based on PC and consoles to the MMORPG genre, which can be said to be the pride of Korean games, and even life simulations that have not been attempted before, there is a variety. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce what games are scheduled to be released next year, which will be as hot as last year and will surprise the world.

First Berserker: Khazan

"It's okay if you don't know Dungeon Fighter or if Soulslike is difficult"

개발사:네오플
해시태그:#하드코어 액션 RPG #던전앤파이터 유니버스 #3D 셀 애니메이션 스타일
추천대상:If you like Soulslike, it's a must-buy
출시일:March 28, 2025

게임 소개:The vanguard of the Dungeon and Fighter universe expansion, 'First Berserker: Khazan,' is in the midst of final preparations ahead of its official release on March 28.

'First Berserker: Khazan' is a hardcore action RPG that tells the story of 'Khazan,' the great general of the Pello Empire, who was framed for treason, exiled, and barely survived, uncovering the events that led to his downfall. It depicts a desperate revenge drama in a unique 3D cel animation style. The game is based on a sophisticated and in-depth Soulslike-based action combat system, and is characterized by incorporating elements unique to 'First Berserker: Khazan,' such as the combat style becoming more exhilarating and stylish as characters and equipment grow.

It was well-received by global gamers at its first official demonstration at Gamescom this year, and boasted enthusiastic interest, with a large crowd of visitors at the Tokyo Game Show and G-Star. In addition, the exhilarating action, challenging boss battles, and deep and serious story were praised at each game show. 'First Berserker: Khazan' is scheduled to distribute a demo version that allows you to experience the early part of the game in advance from January 17 prior to its official release.

inZOI

"Aiming for more than just K-Sims"

개발사:크래프톤
해시태그:#K-심즈 #인생 시뮬레이션 #얼리액세스
추천대상:Sims fans who are tired of The Sims
출시일:March 28, 2025

게임 소개:'inZOI', which is called K-Sims and has challenged The Sims, which has been the king of the life simulation genre for over a decade, will finally be released in Early Access on March 28, 2025.

In 'inZOI', players can raise their 'Zoi', who will be their alter ego, against the backdrop of Dowon, one of the parallel cities in a multiverse similar to Seoul, and live various lives while forming relationships with other Zois. 'inZOI', which features high-quality graphics of Unreal Engine 5, caught the eye of global gamers at Gamescom this year. At the time, the Gamescom site was crowded with visitors trying to play 'inZOI' despite waiting in line for more than 3 hours. In addition, the character customization demo, which was temporarily conducted through Steam from August 21 to 26, also recorded a maximum of 18,000 concurrent users.

Krafton also exhibited 'inZOI' at G-Star this year, following last year, and proved that it is still a highly anticipated title, with many visitors showing interest as in last year.

Legend of Ymir

"Wemade's development know-how, the culmination of blockchain know-how"

개발사:WemadeXR
해시태그:#블록체인 기반 경제 시스템 #MMORPG #PC-모바일 크로스 플랫폼
추천대상:Gamers who have been waiting for a new MMORPG
출시일:Q1 2025

게임 소개:Will it be able to hit consecutive home runs following MIR4 and Night Crows? Wemade's new MMORPG 'Legend of Ymir' is currently preparing for release next year while conducting pre-registration.

'Legend of Ymir' is an MMORPG that tells the story of the world's end 'Ragnarok' that repeats every 9,000 years. A distinctive feature of 'Legend of Ymir' that differentiates it from other MMORPGs is that it is the first domestic game to fully introduce blockchain technology. Through this, the game aims to build a user-participatory governance system, create top-tier items such as weapons and accessories as NFIs (Non-Fungible Items), assign unique numbers, and record them in a blockchain-based database, making them transparently available to everyone. It also aims to build an economic system in which the value of items can be maintained for a long time by limiting the amount of 'currency' issued, which will be the core of the in-game economy.

In addition, unlike existing mobile MMORPGs based on automatic combat, it is seeking differentiation by employing a two-track strategy, such as preparing various contents to allow automatic combat and manual operation to coexist. 'Legend of Ymir', which will be released on PC and mobile, is scheduled to be officially released in the first quarter of next year.

Dragon Sword

"Dark Horse of G-Star this year"

개발사:Hound13
해시태그:#오픈월드 액션 RPG #지스타 2024 다크호스 #PC-모바일 크로스 플랫폼
추천대상:Gamers who like the action of Hundred Soul
출시일:2025

게임 소개:The open-world action RPG 'Dragon Sword', developed by Hound13 and serviced by Webzen, is also preparing for release in 2025.

'Dragon Sword' is the second action RPG presented by Hound13. It allows you to explore the vast world of land, sea, and air through various actions such as flying, diving, and climbing, while incorporating the action based on skill combos from the previous work 'Hundred Soul', providing gamers with the fun of both adventure and combat. It held its first demonstration at G-Star this year, and received favorable reviews from many visitors at the G-Star site at the time. In particular, the combat system, which inherited and expanded 'Hundred Soul', was evaluated as being quite different from existing action RPGs, and was mentioned as a dark horse.

Hound13's first open-world action RPG 'Dragon Sword' is scheduled to be released in 2025. As it inherits 'Hundred Soul', gamers who enjoyed their previous work will likely find 'Dragon Sword' just as enjoyable.

Architect: Land of Exile

"Aiming for Hive IM's 'BTS'"

개발사:Aquatree
해시태그:#MMORPG #논타겟팅 액션 #PC-모바일 크로스 플랫폼
추천대상:If you've been waiting for a non-targeting MMORPG, this is the game
출시일:2025

게임 소개:Hive IM's new MMORPG 'Architect: Land of Exile (hereinafter Architect)', which had been veiled in mystery, finally revealed its appearance at G-Star this year.

'Architect' is a high-end AAA-class MMORPG being developed with Unreal Engine 5, and is characterized by integrating the elements of existing open-world action RPGs and MMORPGs into one. In the seamless and vast field, you can freely explore various parts of the world through unrestricted special movements such as flying, swimming, and climbing, and the non-targeting-based combat system provides the fun of in-depth combat, such as calculating the distance from the enemy and responding to gimmicks, rather than the monotonous combat that could be cleared by simply pressing buttons.

Meanwhile, Park Beom-jin, CEO of Aquatree, who developed 'Architect', said during G-Star, "It is a high-end AAA-class game with the highest level of technology currently available," and expressed his ambition to provide differentiated fun from existing MMORPGs.

Mongil: Star Dive

"Memories of Mongil are now an action RPG"

개발사:Netmarble Monster
해시태그:#수집형 액션 RPG #몬길의 계승작 #PC-모바일 크로스 플랫폼
추천대상:Gamers who like cute collectible action RPGs
출시일:Second half of 2025

게임 소개:Monster Taming, which was the beginning of domestic collectible RPGs, is returning as a 'collectible' action RPG. Netmarble's new title 'Mongil: Star Dive', which finally revealed its appearance at G-Star this year, is scheduled to be released in the second half of this year.

'Mongil: Star Dive', which is being developed with Unreal Engine 5, is an action RPG that allows you to enjoy spectacular action with simple controls. It inherits the worldview and characters of Monster Taming, which can be said to be the original, while reinterpreting them with elements unique to 'Mongil: Star Dive'. Cloud and Verna, the main characters of the original, reappear as the main characters, and monsters such as Pyo Chi and Slagoon are also somewhat familiar.

Although the genre has changed from a collectible RPG to a collectible action RPG, the core parts remain the same. In particular, the collecting element of capturing, synthesizing, and collecting monsters, which is the alpha and omega and the core of Monster Taming, has been changed to a form suitable for 'Mongil: Star Dive'. The tamed monsters can be equipped in the form of keyrings, and there is also dedicated content that can be enjoyed with the tamed monsters.

'Mongil: Star Dive', which was first introduced at G-Star, is scheduled to be released on PC and mobile in the second half of 2025.

Project DX

"Dutaesik (became cooler) is back"

개발사:Nexon Games
해시태그:#공룡 #MMORPG #서바이벌 크래프팅
추천대상:All of us who like dinosaurs and survival crafting
출시일:2025

게임 소개:The MMORPG 'Project DX', based on the Durango: Wild Lands IP, may also be available this year if all goes well. 'Project DX' is a game that reinterprets the elements of dinosaurs, survival, and crafting, which were the core elements of Durango, in the form of a PC-based MMORPG. As in the previous work, players must freely explore the unknown land of Durango, build settlements by joining forces with others, or compete with each other, while uncovering the secrets hidden in Durango.

Detailed information about 'Project DX' has not yet been released. The fact that it is being developed with Unreal Engine and that it has inherited the existing elements as much as possible is all that is known. The only information that can be known is the trailer released at G-Star this year, and through this trailer, you can get a glimpse of the parts that remind you of the survival and crafting elements of the original.

Nevertheless, gamers' reactions to 'Project DX' are generally positive. Above all, since the original was a sandbox-based mobile game, there were many restrictions, so 'Project DX', which is based on PC, is expected to resolve these shortcomings, and is attracting expectations from existing fans as well as gamers who enjoy the survival crafting genre.

Breakers Unlock the World

"Subculture stronghold Japan attack preparation complete"

개발사:Big Games Studio
해시태그:#애니메이션 #액션 RPG #PC-모바일 크로스 플랫폼
추천대상:Gamers who like subculture games
출시일:Second half of 2025

게임 소개:'Breakers Unlock the World', the new title from Big Games Studio, which was founded by Choi Jae-young, vice president of FunnyPaw, who developed The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, and core members who became independent, is also aiming for release in the second half of 2025 after a long period of development.

'Breakers' is an animation-style RPG with high-quality graphics, and tells the story of Breakers who adventure on a submersible in the divided world of Serapia for their own purposes. 'Breakers', which exhibited a demo version at the 2023 Tokyo Game Show and G-Star, was praised at the time for its directing and storytelling that resembled watching an animation. This was the same this year, and it attracted the attention of visitors by re-exhibiting at the Tokyo Game Show this year.

Currently, 'Breakers' is in the midst of final preparations for its release next year. We are focusing all our efforts to further improve the game's quality, and plan to conduct a CBT in early 2025 and release it in the second half of the year.

Aion 2

"Special mission! Save the crisis NCSoft!"

개발사:NCSoft
해시태그:#천족과 마족 #MMORPG #마지막 희망
추천대상:Gamers who prefer Aion to WoW
출시일:2025

게임 소개:Will it be able to become NCSoft's savior as in the previous work? 'Aion 2', which NCSoft is betting on as a global strategy project, is also expected to be released next year.

To date, only a small amount of information has been revealed about 'Aion 2'. Some of the information revealed when the Director's Cut was released in 2018 is almost all that has been revealed to date. At the time, NCSoft revealed that it was set 900 years before the previous work, against the backdrop of the war between the Asmodians and the Elyos, as well as three-dimensional combat through free gliding and large-scale battles in which players from different servers cross servers and fight each other, called the World-Space Rift, attracting attention.

Even now, many parts of 'Aion 2' are veiled in mystery. However, at the conference call in the second quarter of 2023, NCSoft said about 'Aion 2', "We believe that it will be a game that presents new standards in various aspects such as content scale and quality, and we are putting all our efforts into it internally," so it is expected to be the largest project and game in NCSoft's history.

Crimson Desert

"Can't postpone it any longer"

개발사:Pearl Abyss
해시태그:#오픈월드 #드롭킥 #게임 오브 지스타
추천대상:Gamers who like diverse action
출시일:2025

게임 소개:'Crimson Desert', which Pearl Abyss is focusing all its efforts on, has tentatively confirmed its release date for the fourth quarter of 2025. It's not confirmed, so I'm a little worried, but even so, since there is only one year left until its release, it can be said that it has come into sight in many ways.

Until the beginning of this year, many parts of 'Crimson Desert' were veiled in mystery, but many parts were revealed starting with Gamescom. This is because many parts of the combat system were revealed when it was first exhibited. Pearl Abyss then re-exhibited 'Crimson Desert' at G-Star, properly imprinting on the minds of domestic and foreign gamers what kind of game 'Crimson Desert' is. Above all, the visuals that had been shown through videos from before were true, and the unique and dynamic combat system and immersive gameplay were praised.

All that remains for 'Crimson Desert' is to improve its perfection through tempering. There is now about one year left until its official release. It's a short time if it's short, and a long time if it's long. I hope that 'Crimson Desert' will be released as planned next year without any problems.

Chrono Odyssey

"Can we really meet next year?"

개발사:Chronostudio
해시태그:#크로노텍터 #차세대 액션 MMORPG #심리스 오픈월드
추천대상:MMORPG fans, gamers familiar with non-targeting
출시일:2025

게임 소개:The epic fantasy MMORPG 'Chrono Odyssey', which caught the attention of domestic and foreign gamers at the same time as its appearance through high-quality visuals, directing, and spectacular action, is also aiming for release next year.

Assuming that all the information that has been released so far is true, 'Chrono Odyssey' is full of elements that will catch the eye of gamers. The thrilling battle with the giant boss is as good as any action game, and by using the 'Chronotector' that controls time and space, it is expected to provide the fun of exploration and discovery that was difficult to feel in existing MMORPGs. In addition, the developer Chronostudio is putting all its efforts into it as a next-generation MMORPG, with attractive characters and a new way of storytelling.

In addition, the response from the small-scale FGT conducted this year is also generally positive, which makes us look forward to the future. However, one worrying point is that no new news has been released for nearly a year and a half after releasing the latest trailer in 2023. Gamers who are waiting for the game can't help but feel frustrated. However, since it is aiming for release in 2025, it is expected that major information about the game will be released next year.

ArcheAge Chronicle

"The next-generation MMORPG in the true sense that CEO Song Jae-kyung dreams of"

개발사:XLGAMES
해시태그:#AI NPC #다채로운 콘텐츠 #정교하고 깊이 있는 액션,
추천대상:MMORPG fans who like various contents such as trade, housing, and farming
출시일:2025 CBT

게임 소개:Strictly speaking, the release of 'ArcheAge Chronicle' is expected to take more time. However, I would like to introduce it as a bonus because you can meet it in a limited form of CBT at least next year. 'ArcheAge Chronicle' is an online action RPG being developed as the authentic successor to ArcheAge.

The biggest feature of the game that has been revealed so far is the advanced action. Unlike the previous work, which was targeting-based, 'ArcheAge Chronicle' is non-targeting-based, making more dynamic combat possible. Through the released video, you can see sophisticated action that exchanges offense and defense, such as avoiding or blocking enemy attacks and aiming for gaps, which is as good as a console action game. In addition, it will present diverse stories and journeys through diverse interactions with AI NPCs.

There are also many parts inherited from the previous work. These are community-based contents such as trade, housing, and farming. However, since it is 'ArcheAge Chronicle' that advocates an online action RPG, it is expected that the amount of these contents will be somewhat reduced compared to the previous work.

'ArcheAge Chronicle' is scheduled to conduct CBT in the middle of next year and be officially released in 2026. As CEO Song Jae-kyung, who is called the first-generation developer and the father of domestic MMORPGs, is putting his heart and soul into it, much attention is focused on it.

웹진 인벤윤홍만 기자
2024-12-31