Nexon is reportedly not working on a new MMORPG for Game of Thrones after all. Apparently, the insider source was mistaken and mistakenly turned the already known project from Netmarble into a new online role-playing game by Nexon.
Update from May 4, 2024: Redanian Intelligence had an update in the meantime. Apparently, the source was wrong and mistakenly turned the already known MMORPG for Game of Thrones from Netmarble into a new project by Nexon.
What is known about the new MMORPG for Game of Thrones? According to a report by Redanian Intelligence, Nexon’s new online role-playing game takes place in the North of Westeros, where Winterfell and the Wall are located.
The story is said to take place between the events of the fourth and fifth seasons of the HBO series of the same name by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Roose Bolton is currently the Warden of the North, while Jon Snow and Sam Tarly guard the Wall as members of the Night’s Watch.
Apparently, the MMORPG will offer a story campaign where you must choose between a male and female main character – the rejected character will still be involved in the story.
Lastly, it seems clear that during the campaign, players will encounter familiar characters from Game of Thrones, but these will not be voiced by the original actors from the series.
Game of Thrones generated an incredible hype for years – here is the trailer for the first season:
What do I need to know about Nexon? The South Korean publisher released one of the first MMORPGs ever with Nexus: Kingdom of the Winds in 1996. Nexon is also considered a pioneer in the Free2Play sector, as all games from the company founded in 1994 are based on this payment model.
Some of Nexon’s greatest successes include (figures from the financial report for Q2 2022):
- Dungeon & Fighter (more than 850 million registered players and over 20 billion US dollars in revenue since 2005)
- Maple Story (more than 180 million registered players and over 3 billion US dollars in revenue since 2003)
- KartRider (more than 380 million players on PC and over 1 billion US dollars in revenue since 2004)
Nexon also acted as a publisher for various MMORPGs (especially in the Korean region), such as Vindictus, ArcheAge, Final Fantasy XIV, Atlantica Online, or Riders of Icarus. Last year, they also made a statement with the online shooter The Finals.
Difficult terrain for MMORPG developers
Can a MMORPG for Game of Thrones from Nexon actually work? Due to the book series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R. R. Martin, as well as the aforementioned HBO series, Game of Thrones certainly belongs to the most exciting universes for which an online role-playing game could be developed.
Nexon has the expertise, experience, and budget to implement such an MMORPG project, but we are skeptical whether we can actually receive the best possible GoT experience with the Free2Play model and the typical characteristics of Asian developers.
Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether the project will cross the finish line or how many years the development will ultimately take.
For example, Game of Thrones: Seven Kingdoms by Bigpoint was discontinued after many years of development. There is also a big question mark behind Project T from Netmarble, which is also supposed to be based on the HBO series, as it has shown no sign of life apart from a job posting for years.
More information on the GoT project from Netmarble can be found here: A major gaming company is developing a new MMORPG for Game of Thrones
