South Korean game developer and publisher NCSoft have unveiled a new massively multiplayer online (MMO) game with a 9 minute gameplay trailer.

There's also a developer "interview" / Q&A but it's not terribly informative.

Seems like MMOs are back in business.

No-one including Blizzard themselves were able to recreate the success of 2004's still undisputed king of MMOs World of Warcraft.

NCSoft developed and / or published several titles which were among its more successful competitors and the last MMO to make a big splash was their Guild Wars 2 in 2012.

Since then it's been relatively quiet / abysmal.

Multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) and games with a more limited multiplayer functionality have prospered in their place.

But now everyone - on the corporate side of the equation at least - is metaverse obsessed and MMOs are the closest technologically achievable equivalent.

If NCSoft are moving back into this space with a big budget title like this, that's a sign of probably not recovery as such but rather a will to push forward once more.

LLL's trailer showcases a slick sci-fi game set in an alternate history Korea.

Kind of.

It takes place in a world that started with the idea that the history we know progressed differently due to a particular event in the past. In LLL, a devastated Seoul, the 10th century Byzantine Empire, and the 23rd century are all blended together in the same lore.

Crowded and then some.

We see hijacking, piloting and then exploding a mech.

Fabulous.

Also destructible pagodas.

Can't say we ever wanted to do that to a pagoda but maybe buildings more broadly are destructible.

In addition to this being a sign of renewed interest in MMO development, the setting is noteworthy.

Not too long ago we would have been stunned to see a big budget title like this set outside of North America or England because that's all anyone would serve us.

Cheers to developers like CD Projekt Red and Netflix for popularising content like The Witcher (Polish), and the latter also for series and films from around the world, including South Korea.

No information has been provided about LLL's business model but their launch target is 2024 on PC and console.

Also note that "Project" typically denotes an undecided or unannounced game title.

Its setting being three different blended times and places, maybe the title will have the initials LLL and each refers to one of those?

[ Main Image: LLL gameplay trailer. Credit: NCSoft via YouTube. ]

References

NCSoft (November 14, 2022). [NCing] LLL Gameplay Trailer | eNCounter | NCSOFT. YouTube.

NCSoft (November 14, 2022). Trailblazer Project 〈LLL〉 starts with a Unique Blend of Third-person Shooter and MMO.