Krafton sets its sights on The Ascent studio Neon Giant
PUBG parent company Krafton is looking to add another studio to its stable: Neon Giant, developer of the excellent cyberpunk action-RPG The Ascent (opens in new tab).
Word of the acquisition came by way of a bland statement in Krafton’s Q3 financial report (opens in new tab), which also revealed—in just about the most general sense possible—what the studio is up to for its next game.
“Krafton continues to invest in its development and service capabilities to ensure a steady pipeline of premium titles,” the report says. “The company announced plans to acquire Swedish studio Neon Giant (The Ascent), which is currently working on an open-world FPS game. Krafton also plans to establish a major studio in Canada to lead development of The Bird That Drinks Tears project.”
The Bird That Drinks Tears is a game concept based on a popular series of Korean fantasy novels by Yeongdo Lee by the same name. Little is known about the game—the official website still refers to it as “unannounced project (opens in new tab)“—but a “visual concept trailer (opens in new tab)” was released in September and it looks potentially very interesting.
The Ascent, released in 2021, definitely is very interesting: We called it “one of the most compelling cyberpunk worlds on PC” in our 84% review.
“From the lavish Golden Satori casino to the bleak, dilapidated Black Lake slums, this is a masterclass in creating a sense of place and establishing an atmosphere,” we wrote. “Just be aware that, even though the screenshots might make it look like it’s a CRPG similar to something like Shadowrun, it’s a fast-paced, challenging, almost arcade-like shooter above all.”
Krafton isn’t quite at Embracer Group’s (opens in new tab) levels of acquisition yet but it’s noticeably bulking up. The deal for Neon Giant isn’t done but if and when it closes, it’ll join a lineup that includes PUBG Studios, Callisto Protocol (opens in new tab) developer Striking Distance Studios, and Subnautica maker Unknown Worlds, which is currently working on a “digital miniatures game” called Moonbreaker (opens in new tab) and a new Subnautica game (opens in new tab).
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