Nexon Dismantles Team for 'The First Berserker: Khazan' Following Unsatisfactory Commercial Performance - Players For Life | Gaming News, Reviews & Creative Media Hub

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The game The First Berserker: Khazan, despite positive critical reception, did not meet Nexons commercial expectations and the Neople development team has been dismantled.
Approximately 100 team members have been reallocated to other projects, casting doubt on future DLC or releases on other platforms for The First Berserker franchise.
Neople is working on Project OVERKILL and Dungeon Fighter: ARAD, both targeting a 2027 release, as part of their efforts to expand the Dungeon Fighter brand.
Nexon views The First Berserker: Khazan as a partial success, citing its demonstration of the Dungeon Fighter brands international potential and its ability to transcend traditional markets, particularly in online and mobile gaming. However, there will not be a sequel to The First Berserker: Khazan.

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Nexon has reportedly dismantled the Neople development team behind The First Berserker: Khazan, according to Korean website Yna. Despite positive critical reception, the action RPG failed to meet the publisher’s commercial expectations. Released last year, The First Berserker: Khazan, a Soulslike set in the Dungeon Fighter universe, was praised for its stylish visuals and ambition. The game reached a peak of 32,929 concurrent players on Steam shortly after launch, but daily concurrent players have since fallen to around 2,000, with recent lows of just over 1,000. While the game holds an average Metacritic score of 78, sources indicate that sales did not meet Nexon’s targets. According to the report, Neople has reallocated a significant portion of the development team. Roughly 100 team members have been moved to other projects, casting doubt on future DLC or releases on other platforms. Its market visibility may have also been affected by launching just days before major titles such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows, WWE 2K25, and Split Fiction.

Restructuring and Future Expansion of The First Berserker Franchise Amid Job Security Concerns and Partial Success in International Markets

Neople staffers held an open-ended strike in 2025 over bonus compensation. Although the dispute was resolved with improved pay and benefits, the Khazan restructuring has reignited concerns about job security. Neople is also reportedly working on Project OVERKILL and Dungeon Fighter: ARAD, both targeting a 2027 release. Nexon has acknowledged the commercial underperformance of The First Berserker: Khazan, but classified the project as a partial success, citing its demonstration of the Dungeon Fighter brand’s international potential. In recent market presentations, Nexon has referenced Khazan as an example of franchise expansion, stating that the title proved the intellectual property’s ability to transcend traditional markets, especially in the online and mobile gaming spaces. While Nexon will continue to assess the brand’s long-term potential, particularly with plans for a launch in China, the franchise will not continue as a sequel to The First Berserker: Khazan.

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