Creative and Limitless Like The Witcher; PUBG Devs on the World of Their Action RPG
How does the The Witcher compare to Project Windless, the action RPG from the creators of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds? The developers of Krafton's new game talked about this and the world of The Bird That Drinks Tears.
- PCGamesN and The Verge interviewed concept artist Iain McCaig and creative director Son Kwangjae about Project Windless - a new game based on the license of a Korean fantasy IP The Bird That Drinks Tears;
- The developers cited the original world created by Yeong-do Lee as one of the main reasons for interest in the brand;
- It was stressed again that the developers are counting on the brand's success in other media and thus promoting original stories - which is why The Witcher serves as a model.
It might seem that the new venture of the company known mainly for its popular battle royale is not a game that would arouse the interest of those who like story-rich worlds. However, the project prepared by the creators of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds from Krafton attracted the attention of gamers. Action RPG set in the universe of Korean dark fantasy IP The Bird That Drinks Tears sounds intriguing, especially when one of the developers compares it to The Witcher. Concept artist Iain McCaig and creative director Son Kwangjae spoke more about the plans for Yeong-do Lee's original creation in interviews with PCGamesN and The Verge. We emphasize: "original", because it is the uniqueness of the world created by Lee that is the main reason for developers' interest in it. This is how McCaig briefly described The Bird That Drinks Tears:
“A hero that eats his enemy. A sister searching for her beloved brother to kill him. A matriarchal race of reptile people who have their hearts removed to achieve immortality .And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of this gob smacking saga. Need I say more?”
Rooster people aren't the only (or biggest) oddity from the world of The Bird That Drinks Tears. (Source: The Verge).
He is seconded by Son Kwangjae, for whom the charm of The Bird That Drinks Tears is that everything there is "new": from the monsters of Korean folklore to a race of humanoid roosters and snakes. The latter are rare but nonetheless familiar guests in fantasy settings, but Yeong-do Lee has supposedly portrayed them in an unusual way, as well as more stereotypical creatures like dragons. These and other elements are said to add up to a world full of paradoxes and absurdities, "where the greatest entities leave nasty marks and loved ones betray you.". Kwangjae adds that a side effect of this mix is the problem of choosing an art style that will fit such an original content of the universe.
[...] this story is full of monsters and nightmarish things, and that half the time those are the good guys. It’s brutal and dark and slapstick and absurd and really, really smart. Finding an art style that can do all those things justice is a challenge, because the author’s tone is so original.”
The creators also referred to comparisons with The Witcher, which, incidentally, came from the mouth of a representative of Krafton himself. McCaig admits that the "Korean Witcher" sounds great, but the juxtaposition of The Bird That Drinks Tears with the universe of the Polish monster hunter does not do justice to the saga in question. Yes, the brand started by Andrzej Sapkowski is a kind of "model" for developers, but the world created by Yeong-do Lee is, in their opinion, too original to be compared to anything else on the market.
Nevertheless, Son Kwangjae did not fail to mention that the universe of The Bird That Drinks Tears is as "creative and limitless" as the settings of other great fantasy series, such as Geralt's saga, Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones (i.e. A Song of Ice and Fire). The creators hope that their work will bring fame to the entire brand, including the original stories, as was the case with the game and series licensed from Sapkowski's works. This expansion into more media is the reason why Krafton is pitching The Witcher as a role model (which was already mentioned during the company's recent presentation).
Source: The Verge.
Of course, Son Kwangjae and Iain McCaig had nothing to say about the gameplay of The Bird That Drinks Tears' adaptation. The creators have just started working on the project, so we received nothing but concept arts (vide Twitter) and unspecified ideas. So far there is nothing to think about the shape and success of the production, let alone the further development of the brand. Nevertheless, I think it's worth to follow the fate of Project Windless with interest.
