At the gamescom 2025, MeinMMO editor Niko spoke with the CEO of BigFire Games, who were representing their MMO shooter Cinder City. In the interview, he explains what fans of the genre can look forward to and why South Korea is a special country for games, movies, and series.
With Cinder City, NCSoft and developer BigFire Games showcased a new trailer for the upcoming MMO shooter Cinder City. The game visually resembles titles like The Division and is set to release in 2026.
I was able to play a demo level of the game at gamescom and had a lot of fun, especially in a particular area.
After trying it out, I could talk to the CEO of BigFire Games, James Bae, and asked him what players can expect and how they designed the world.
Horror Elements and Shooter Inspirations
MeinMMO: First of all: I really enjoyed it. I am a big fan of third-person shooters. And especially the section in the hospital – I love horror games and survival horror experiences. Is horror an element you plan to incorporate more often, or was that just for this segment of the game?
James Bae: First of all – I am also a huge shooter fan. I grew up with Doom, Wolfenstein, all the classics, and so on. And I also love horror elements, both in movies and games. I think this will be a recurring concept in our game – in all parts of our game, not just in the demo.
Outside it will be rather bright, but dominated by gang members. And inside, in the underground or subways, we will have different places that are hidden. Inside, there will be creatures, like you saw in the demo, and in our final product, there will be even more variety among the creatures. So we tend to continue employing horror elements.
MeinMMO: Regarding the setting: How are you approaching mixing sci-fi with South Korean architecture and culture?
James Bae: We started building based on the city of Seoul because it is the city we are most familiar with, more than any other city. And it is now also very well-known worldwide. So that was our first idea, just to use the city we love the most and know best.
But using it just like that would limit the diversity; it might not feel as exciting and interesting. So, we wanted to adapt it because we incorporate many different types of NPCs, not just humanoids, but also creatures. For that, we needed to change the city of Seoul, not just leave it as it is, destroyed and devastated. So we also wanted to incorporate some sci-fi concepts to create a different version of the city of Seoul.
Giant Mechs, Post-Apocalypse, and Content for Solo Players
MeinMMO: When we talk about the trailer and sci-fi: You showcased mech gameplay with these giant robots – are they only for specific missions, or are they a core feature that I can use in various aspects of the game?
James Bae: To answer your question directly: Yes, you can use the mechs in other missions as well, not just in scripted ones, but in all sorts of combat. What you played today is like a tutorial and will not be the main content of our final game.
It will lean more towards open-world PvE or co-op, with a large number of players fighting side by side. Of course, mechs will be involved there too, and if you want, you can use them – and enemies will also use mechs to fight against you. There will also be not only open-world content but also instanced dungeons, inside buildings or underground.
MeinMMO: When I think of MMO shooters, I often think of very colorful, very fast, and vertical games. Why did you choose a more grounded gameplay approach?
James Bae: As you said, we leaned more towards realistic gunplay, just like real soldiers would fight on the ground. While we incorporate some sci-fi concepts and creatures, we wanted it to feel really tactical and strategic.
And our AI opponents will also move strategically to outmaneuver you. So we also built in ADS [Note: aiming down sights
] and some tactical shooting elements to make it feel like legitimate, strategic gunplay instead of more casual jumping around and flying.
MeinMMO: Can you tell us a bit about the story and the world? For example, how did these sci-fi weapons and elements come into our time?
James Bae: Essentially, the game does not take place in a distant future, but in 10 or 20 years from now. But the planet Earth is being attacked and completely devastated by this threat from outer space, so it’s more of a post-apocalyptic theme. And you are a super soldier using time travel technology, so you have been given some future technologies from different time periods to use those technologies to save humanity and the world.
MeinMMO: Regarding the gameplay – how will it be for solo players? Is it accessible, well playable, also concerning activities outside the story mode?
James Bae: Absolutely! Solo players will definitely be able to enjoy the open-world content, almost all will also be accessible for solo players. There are some contents that require a specific number of players to start, like 4-player instanced dungeons. But otherwise, all content will also be accessible for solo players.
MeinMMO: I assume I can also play the co-op content with random players? Not just people I know?
James Bae: Yes, of course.
MeinMMO: A question about the trailer from two years ago, I believe? There was this really cool hook that could pull enemies toward you or allow you to jump to enemies. Is that still a thing?
James Bae: I’m not quite sure which clip you’re referring to, but regarding the grappling hook mechanic: We are trying to develop one, but it is not implemented yet.
South Korea as a Special Country
MeinMMO: The last question concerns more about South Korea. Personally, I am a big fan of South Korean films; I love this one film called Oldboy. And I feel that Korea has become a major gaming country in recent years, with smaller games and large games, even AAA titles. I find that these products from South Korea feel so different – any idea why? So why do people and artists from South Korea create movies, series, and games that feel so different from western developers?
James Bae: That’s so cool! First of all: That’s really a profound question. But when I think about it – as someone who is a huge fan and consumer of films, series, and games – I believe Korea had the opportunity to have a really unique experience as a country. People from other countries might not know this, but we have been producing our own content since the 1950s/60s, which was mostly consumed domestically and did not include external investments.
So, it was like: domestic consumption, production, everything domestic. I guess that’s why we weren’t really influenced by other cultures or large foreign companies, and so on. So we had this experience of purely domestic production and consumption. And we had a war that devastated the country, and afterward, the fastest economic and cultural growth ever, from the poorest country to today. So I think this unique experience has somehow influenced how we produce and consume content.
MeinMMO: Thank you.
South Korea has become an increasingly major country for entertainment products over the past years. Series like Squid Game, games like Stellar Blade or Lies of P, and movies like Parasite are media present and successful. Together with China, South Korea seems to have a significant influence in the future. Japan also remains a large country for games, especially Capcom: Capcom showed me 2 strong zombie games on the PS5, but their new sci-fi shooter is my big highlight
