Publisher Nexon has revealed that its recently-released action RPG, The First Berserker: Khazan, missed internal sales forecasts. During its recent earnings call (via Yahoo Finance), the company said that Q1 revenue for the game was under what the company was expecting of it. However, Nexon isn’t too disappointed with this, since the game did manage to get a fair bit of commercial success, and ultimately, helped in bringing more attention to the Dungeon & Fighter IP.
“The game made its global debut on March 28 with strong ratings from both players and critics,” said the company in its earnings call. “While Q1 revenue was below our outlook, the game achieved our objective as a strategic first step in a multi-year plan to introduce Dungeon & Fighter IP to a global audience.”
The Dungeon & Fighter franchise is around a decade old at this point. However, it has only really been known in east-Asian markets, thanks to MMO beat ‘em up game Dungeon Fighter Online. Nexon has previously tried to bring more global attention to the franchise with the release of games like DNF Duel, but had failed to spark interest in the IP until the release of The First Berserker: Khazan.
Dungeon Fighter Online revolves around players taking on the role of characters dubbed Dungeon Fighters as they take part in various adventures across the world of Arad. The core gameplay revolves around fast-paced actions and dungeon crawling, where players can take on dangerous enemies and progress their character through level ups as well as by finding new equipment.
The First Berserker: Khazan takes place in the same setting, and expands on one of the key time periods of the backstory. The action RPG revolves around the eponymous Khazan, who is saved from the brink of death by the Blade Phantom. A deal is struck between them, and they set off to investigate a mysterious force that is causing disruptions in the flow of souls from the northern parts of Arad.
Developer Neople has continued to support The First Berserker: Khazan through post-launch update since its release. The most recent one, out earlier this week, brought with it two Boss Rush modes. Described as modes that offer the “Ultimate Challenge”, players can take part in what is essentially meant to be post-game content once they have finished the main story. The two Boss Rush modes are dubbed the Great General’s Crucible and Berserker’s Bloodshed.
The First Berserker: Khazan is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details about the action RPG, check out our review. And in case you’re stuck on some parts, check out our guides for all bosses and their locations, some of the most powerful gear sets, and how you can level mastery and earn skill points quickly.
While The First Berserker: Khazan has been a critical and commercial success, Nexon also has another game in the Dungeon & Fighter world in the works. Dubbed Dungeon and Fighter: ARAD, the game is currently in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It doesn’t yet have a release date, however.