NCSoft Swaps Swords for Firearms with Two Shooter Reveals at Gamescom 2025
At Gamescom’s Opening Night Live showcase in Cologne, longtime MMO specialist NCSoft turned heads by unveiling two very different shooters: Time Takers and Cinder City. The announcement marks a clear move beyond the studio’s fantasy comfort zone as it prepares a seven-game slate for 2025-2026. While the last few years have been pretty
NCSoft is best known for online staples such as Lineage and Guild Wars 2, so seeing the Korean publisher pursue action shooters is noteworthy. Both projects are aiming for a global PC and console release in 2026, giving the company time to refine their distinct hooks. One is built around time management, the other around open-world mech warfare in a ruined Seoul.
Key points from the reveal
- Time Takers – A third-person, squad-based survival shooter from Mistil Games. Teams of three battle for “Time Energy,” which functions as both currency and life bar, forcing players to decide whether to spend seconds on upgrades or save them to stay alive.
- Unreal Engine 5 powers its visuals, motion capture, and destruction systems. Matches revolve around flexible builds that combine character abilities, weapons, and “apps” to create new playstyles every round.
- Cinder City – Developed internally by BigFire Games, this MMO tactical shooter drops players into post-apocalyptic Seoul where medieval-style “knights” pilot high-tech armor and mechs. Solo and co-op play center on a search-and-rescue narrative that can branch into large-scale PvE encounters.
- Yesterday’s Nvidia GeForce RTX demo showed large mech battles, corridor firefights against monsters, and seamless open-world traversal.
- Both titles are targeting a worldwide launch in 2026 on PC and “consoles” (platforms not yet specified).
What else is on NCSoft’s slate?
- Aion 2
- Limit Zero Breakers
- Blade & Soul Heroes
- Band of Crusaders
- Guild Wars 2: Visions of Eternity expansion from ArenaNet
