Krafton is now reportedly developing its new game based on The Bird That Drinks Tears, a series of Korean fantasy novels. The developer has high hopes for the project. The plan is to grow the IP into something similar to what CDPR has done with The Witcher franchise.
According to insider PlayerIGN, Krafton announced the game during a press conference on July 25. The company itself describes it as “Korean Witcher.”
It will be a single-player dark fantasy RPG game and the South Korean developer’s first major IP since the launch of PUBG.
Announced is a game revealed inspired by Korean fantasy novel: ‘The Bird That Drinks Tears.’
Like with ‘The Witcher’ series specifically, Krafton wants to expand this game into other forms of media like film and comics.
via Krafton July 25th press conference. pic.twitter.com/BXXKE4SrD7— PlayerIGN (@PlayerIGN) July 26, 2021
Krafton first teased the game in May, saying that it wanted to turn The Bird That Drinks Tears novels into a multimedia franchise. The company has already recruited Hollywood concept artist Iain McCaig, known for designing Star Wars characters and working on franchises like Harry Potter, Terminator, and The Avengers.
Besides the game itself, Krafton will probably expand the IP to other forms of media like comics and films. Again, this is similar to how the success of CD Projekt’s The Witcher games has spawned a TV series, comics, and other creative works. So the whole comparison seems legit from this point of view.
The first book in The Bird That Drinks Tears series was released in 2003. It replaces traditional elements of Western fantasy with the imagery of Korean culture. For example, the books have dokkaebi, lekons, and nagas instead of elves, dwarves, and orcs.
During the press conference, Krafton also announced new survival game PUBG Cowboy and a project code-named Titan. The company also said that PUBG: New State, a futuristic sequel to the famous battle royale, will come out in October.