This article was originally published on December 12, 2025 - read the full issue

By Marie Dealessandri

In 2023, Lies Of P granted Neowiz's global fame. Prequel expansion Lies Of P Overture released earlier this year, and the Korean developer and publisher announced last month an ambitious pipeline for the years to come.

The first phase of its strategy focuses on its existing live games and launching what it calls "high-potential indies," namely Kill The Shadow and Goodbye Seoul. Beyond 2026, its strategy calls for "expansion of global IPs," with releases including a Lies Of P sequel, four in-house titles, and publishing new projects from Wolfeye Studios and Zakazane Studio. Neowiz has two decades of experience under its belt, mainly in mobile and online games, but its future is firmly rooted in the singleplayer premium PC and console space.

"Honestly, there are more projects, but they're in really early stages so we don't have any details to provide at the moment – but we can say that we will publish at least two double-A titles every year. That is our long-term goal," Neowiz co-CEO Sean Kim tells Knowledge.

He mentions the firm's multi-faceted approach, betting on original IPs that have the potential to become franchises, consistently publishing third-party projects, and pushing development within its internal studios – all of which is supported by the cash flow from its back catalogue.

"The in-house studios are very vulnerable to changes so that is why we are working with multiple teams on multiple projects. Since we need to publish at least two titles every year, we are trying to partner up with external studios such as Wolfeye and Zakazane as much as possible, who have great creative talent and visions that align with our strategy."

Kim explains that Neowiz is looking to build partnerships with studios in the west, but also in other territories, too: "We are seeing a lot of great developers coming up in China these days, so we are trying to focus on that region as well."

Supporting indies

One such talent from China is Shadowlight Sanctuary, the developer behind Kill The Shadow, a detective RPG due to finally release next year after a string of bad luck. Neowiz is also set to publish narrative-driven puzzle platformer Goodbye Seoul from fellow Korean studio Jino Games, and of course Wolfeye and Zakazane's next projects. But even when supporting smaller projects, Neowiz keeps a keen eye on their potential for expansion.

"For us, the size of [the game] is not the deciding factor when we choose partners," Kim says. "What matters is whether the project has a clear identity, and its potential to make great games based on a solid IP. We are really interested in working with developers that are keen to build a solid fanbase, and communicate with them frequently. Indie studios are the ones leading that kind of space these days."

He continues: "However, we do believe that double-A titles – like Lies Of P – also have great potential to be built up into franchises. As long as the game has a solid narrative, great storytelling, great characters, it's much easier to work with that IP and build it into a franchise. That's what we're looking for in external partners as well. We want to work with [studios] that are keen to develop their own world, and then we want to support them as much as possible."

While gameplay remains the deciding factor when it comes to picking IP, Kim says, he does acknowledge the transmedia aspect of Neowiz's strategy, and its desire to go beyond games.

"We are not too different from other big companies. We do believe that [being transmedial] is one of the important pillars in the gaming industry these days."

Committing to PC and console for the next ten years

With its shift to premium PC and console titles, Neowiz set itself apart from what typically dominates the Korean ecosystem – mobile and MMORPGs. However, Kim notes a rise of indie studios in the region.

"The government is helping to grow a lot of indie developers," he adds. "There are a lot of indie studios coming up, especially from young, talented developers within Korea. A lot of mid-sized and big Korean publishers are also looking into the indie scene, while also pivoting to the PC and console space gradually. Because when it comes to the mobile gaming market, it's being saturated.

"The funding has become a lot more conservative compared to past years, especially from the VCs. It's really hard to raise funding if this isn't a very big, ambitious project."

Looking ahead, Kim reiterates Neowiz's ambitions for transmedia expansion and its commitment to the singleplayer premium PC and console segment.

"The reason for pivoting to the PC and console space was because we thought that, even though live-service games have a huge upside, they also do carry a lot of risks. So we wanted to mitigate that risk, even though we have multiple games that are live service."

He continues: "[Going transmedia] can expand our core fanbase. And this is something that we have been gradually committing to and investing in from 2023, and that is why we are looking for great [external] studios.

"And it might seem, starting in the PC and console business with Lies Of P, that Neowiz might have a short-term perspective, but this is a long-term commitment, and we plan to carry this strategy on for [the next] ten years."

This article was originally published on December 12, 2025 - read the full issue