The company Nexon decided to disband the development team responsible for The First Berserker: Khazan after the title failed to meet the commercial expectations set by the company, despite having received good reviews from the community and the specialized press.
The decision has a direct impact on Neople, the studio responsible for the development of the game, whose members have already begun to be reassigned to other internal projects within Nexon.
Khazan was a critical but not commercial success
Released in 2025, The First Berserker: Khazan came to market as an ambitious action RPG inspired by the soulslike genre, with a strong focus on:
Challenging combat
High-level boss fights Complex level
design
Deep progression mechanics
The game was widely praised for its technical aspect and for offering a solid experience within the competitive action and role-playing genre.
However, its sales were far from meeting Nexon's financial goals.
The Chinese market was one of the big problems
.One of the factors that most affected the commercial performance of the title was the delay in its launch in China, one of the most important markets for the global gaming industry and especially relevant for a franchise linked to the Dungeon & Fighter universe
.The delay in that market would have had a decisive impact on the game's overall performance, considerably limiting its sales volume.
Nexon contradicted his own previous speech
.The news was especially surprising because weeks ago the CEO of Nexon had publicly highlighted The First Berserker: Khazan as a key player in the company's international expansion strategy
.He had even pointed out that the title helped to demonstrate that the Dungeon & Fighter brand could successfully expand outside of Asia.
The sudden dissolution of the team generated surprise both among analysts and fans of the franchise.
What will happen to Neople and the future of the saga
For now, Nexon clarified that Neople will not disappear as a studio, although the specific creative team behind Khazan will cease to exist
.Its developers will be redistributed in:
