According to South Korean developer Neowiz’s latest financial report to the investors, the company’s prototype for a full fledged sequel to the acclaimed 2023 soulslike title Lies of P, has been “approved” and likely to enter the full production stage pretty soon. Although no release date has been provided as of now, which isn’t a surprise in any way considering it’ll likely take a while.
In the financial report, it’s been stated that the revenue generated by the Lies of P DLC named ‘Overture’, is currently “stabilized” and the studio is now “executing strategies for global IP franchising and fandom-centered operations to drive robust revenue growth.” And surprisingly, a new IP has been mentioned in the report as well which means the developer is likely branching out to other genres after the success of Lies of P.
And when asked just how their upcoming titles aim to stand out in the highly competitive gaming market, the studio has stated that it considers storytelling to be one of the key USPs for long term success: “narrative is a core competency for Round8 and a key element in driving user immersion.”
“In an environment where global development costs are rising, it is difficult to gain market recognition through technical or sheer volume-based investment alone, making narrative even more critical,” the studio said. “We recruited directors Jin Seung-ho and Lee Sang-gyun precisely because they possess excellent narrative implementation skills.”
Neowiz also shared insights on how the studio decides on making a new title:
“When reviewing new titles, we apply three criteria: the originality and fun of the concept, market competitiveness, and our in-house development capabilities. The lineup naturally diversified because our directors brought forward persuasive and attractive proposals that met these conditions.
“While managing multiple projects is challenging, game development is inherently difficult regardless of the genre. Round8 believes that allowing directors to pursue concepts for which they have the strongest motivation and capability is a rational choice to increase the probability of success.”
