NC’s new title ‘Like or Die’ is a team-based survival FPS the place 16 gamers throughout 4 groups of 4 face off. Every group defends its designated respawn level, the “Nexus,” whereas trying to destroy enemy Nexuses, combating till just one group stays. On prime of this, “Block Motion”—stacking blocks to change terrain—might be seamlessly used in the course of fight. Hwan Kim, Head of NEXT IP Division, shared that when growth started, CEO Taek-jin Kim instructed them, “I will not intervene, so make one thing nice.”
The sport was first revealed through a trailer at Gamescom 2026’s Opening Night time Dwell (ONL) in Cologne, Germany, on August 25 (native time). The next day, August 26, NC held its first native media interview, the place Division Head Kim and Improvement Director Hyeong-soo Jeon defined the sport’s core construction. ‘Like or Die’ is being developed on Unreal Engine 5 with PC and console platforms focused.
The principle sport mode is ‘Nexus Survival.’ A group whose Nexus is destroyed can not respawn, whereas groups that defend their base proceed to revive. A method of concentrating on enemy Nexuses proper from the beginning can be viable.
4 Nexus areas are at the moment mounted on the map, with one assigned to every group upon entry. Which group occupies which spot is disclosed to everybody on the minimap. Director Jeon famous that permitting groups to instantly choose their Nexus place stays a possible function for future enlargement.
Matches revolve round useful resource administration. Useful resource mills are situated at every base, with extra mills scattered throughout the map. Gamers use gathered sources to buy weapons, devices, and blocks on the base store. Blocks should not limitless and might solely be obtained via store purchases. Weapons should not certain to particular characters; as an alternative, gamers construct their loadout step-by-step via out-of-game configurations and in-game store purchases. Firearms are designed based mostly on real-world weaponry.
“Block Motion That Builds Terrain, Not Structure”
Blocks are positioned utilizing a “Block Gun.” They can be utilized to construct bridges in mid-air or scale upward, in addition to encase the Nexus for protection or pave paths via the air to infiltrate enemy territory.
When requested how the sport differs from present shooters like ‘Fortnite,’ Director Jeon answered, “It is terrain, not constructions.” Somewhat than combining stairs and partitions to assemble complicated buildings, the gameplay revolves round stacking easy blocks to assemble the terrain itself. He added, “In that sense, we predict it makes the sport far more accessible.”
Division Head Kim highlighted how constructing is seamlessly built-in into fight as a key power. He defined, “Normally, video games with constructing modes drive gamers to focus fully on constructing as soon as they enter that mode. In distinction, ‘Like or Die’ permits gamers to fluidly use blocks whereas taking pictures enemies throughout engagements.”
Weapon swap pace between the Block Gun and firearms stays topic to balancing. Director Jeon said, “There is a query of how a lot evasion must be attainable by instantly swapping weapons upon getting hit,” including that they’ll fine-tune this via testing, together with time-to-kill (TTK). Presently, gamers can nonetheless react to incoming hearth by instantly constructing blocks to leap upward or block enemy strains of sight.
Variables are launched by “Sponsors.” Totally different sponsors are chosen every session in a roguelike construction, bringing distinct mechanics and gadgets to each match. The scene within the trailer the place the protagonist consumes a flower, spawning a mattress of flowers on the ground and reworking, is an impact created by a sponsor. Director Jeon defined that these fantasy components are layered on prime of real-world firearms on a session-by-session foundation. On the sector, “Fortunate Containers” and “Airdrops” spawn randomly, yielding rewards of various rarity.
Mechanisms are additionally being ready so {that a} group whose Nexus is destroyed doesn’t instantly collapse. Options being mentioned embody missions and passives that grant rewards when in your final life. Director Jeon talked about that they’re tuning choices between “whether or not to remain hidden, or to offer greater bonuses when taking dangers to assault.”
Relating to the potential for matches to devolve into pure protection, Division Head Kim pointed to airdrops as the answer. He defined, “There are occasions when game-changing weapons are dropped in areas inconceivable to say should you solely defend your Nexus, so groups that solely turtle at their Nexus will not essentially have a excessive win fee.”
If a match drags on, a mechanism kicks in to shrink the battlefield. Nevertheless, Director Jeon described this as a last-resort safeguard in case the Nexus battle by no means finishes. The goal play time is 10 minutes or longer. If groups choosing early rushes encounter one another, matches can end in round 5 minutes.
A Platform Broadcasting Earth, Set in a Parallel Universe’s Seoul
The worldbuilding originates from streaming. A cosmic-scale streaming platform company expands its attain to Earth, the place Earthlings take part as streamers on the platform, competing to win and goal for galactic stardom. The setting serves as Earth’s streaming division operated by this company. The principle map takes inspiration from Seoul in a parallel universe, designed as a stage created when the platform edited modern-day Seoul in its personal model to safe content material from a brand new territory.
There are not any mounted hero characters. Director Jeon defined, “It is an avatar sport, not a hero shooter,” noting that gamers customise their very own avatars earlier than getting into the match. As it’s not tied to a army theme, beauty selection was cited as a key level of differentiation. Presently, collaborating characters are restricted to Earthlings.
The diploma to which the streaming idea interferes with gameplay continues to be being adjusted. Chat reactions proven within the trailer have been examined in-game, however have been faraway from the present construct. Director Jeon said that as a result of gameplay itself ought to take precedence throughout matches, these presentation components have been shifted to out-of-game interfaces.
As a substitute, in-game efficiency is transformed into highlights and factors after the match, which construct relationships with sponsors to earn beauty rewards. Social options resembling sharing spotlight clips are at the moment within the starting stage.
FPS Veterans Assemble, Focusing on Launch in 2027
The challenge was kicked off two years in the past. The event group consists of veterans who labored on titles resembling ‘A.V.A,’ ‘PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS,’ ‘Crossfire,’ and ‘Rainbow Six Siege.’
Division Head Kim emphasised that core taking pictures mechanics have been prioritized. He mentioned, “Our prime precedence comes from the idea that an FPS fails with out satisfying gunplay. You possibly can definitely sit up for that side.”
Moreover Nexus Survival, PvE, a simplified PvP mode, and occasion modes are additionally in growth. Director Jeon said that they’ll progress step-by-step via Focus Group Testing (FGT), Closed Beta Testing (CBT), and Open Beta Testing (OBT), concentrating on a closed check inside the 12 months and a full launch subsequent 12 months. Division Head Kim famous they’d keep away from locking in a launch date prematurely, emphasizing, “We won’t launch it if we do not discover it enjoyable ourselves.”
[Read Original]