NCSoft, the South Korean video game developer behind Lineage and Guild Wars, has announced LLL, a new sci-fi, third-person AAA shooter set in the capital of Seoul that aims to unify the concepts of “shooter,” “MMO,” and “open world.” An interview with project leader Jaehyun Bae that NCSoft shared on its official site provides some insight surrounding the development of the game, including how it was influenced by stories such as Dune, Blade Runner, Total Recall, and The Man in the High Castle, while an in-game 4K video shows off some of the game’s visuals and characters, all of whom have a unique name and background story, according to Bae. NCSoft is targeting a 2024 release for LLL, when it is expected to launch globally on PC and console.
Jaehyun Bae on LLL, a new “trailblazing” project from NCSoft that will uniquely blend third-person shooter and MMO:
LLL is a sci-fi game, but it can also be seen as a game that falls under a sub-genre of alternative history. 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.
The world of 〈LLL〉 is a vast open world in which more than 30km of land area is seamlessly connected to a single environment. The core elements that make up the open world are uninterrupted loading and movement. To convey a seamless environment, we implemented content streaming and utilized the most cutting-edge rendering technology.
We also introduced a procedural creation method to provide content that reacts appropriately to the player’s situation instead of playing preset content on repeat within the open world environment.
The difference between 〈LLL〉 and other existing NC games and Korean MMOs is that it focuses on giving each character specific characteristics. Each character has a unique name, and there is a background story that explains each character’s past and driving forces. Storytelling elements will be emphasized to show each character’s unique personality.