NCSoft, the Korean studio known mainly for MMO games like Guild Wars and Lineage, has announced a new project that's something of a lateral move. Project M is an "interactive movie game" with an emphasis on realistic visuals, and it's all being built in Unreal Engine 5.
Wait, NCSoft is making an interactive movie game? What is Project M?
Project M looks like NCSoft's attempt to work in the style of Quantic Dream's David Cage, or perhaps Supermassive titles like the upcoming The Quarry (although there's no word yet on whether Project M will let you remove its gameplay). The story revolves around a man whose lover is killed, so he sets out on a quest to take revenge on her killers. True to NCSoft's word, the debut trailer for Project M does indeed include some pretty impressive graphics and facial animations. You can check out that trailer right here.
According to NCSoft, Project M will feature "cinematic production" alongside graphics with an emphasis on photorealism. Particular attention has been paid to creating realistic facial movements and expressions. Gameplay-wise, this is going to be a very similar affair to Quantic Dream games; you'll make choices that will influence the story, and you'll also engage in quicktime events to work your way through action sequences. With Quantic Dream's Star Wars Eclipse currently AWOL, it stands to reason that games like Project M would start to appear, so if you're into that kind of cinematic storytelling in gaming, it looks like this'll be one to watch.
When will the Project M release date be announced?
At the moment, we don't know exactly when Project M will be released. This debut trailer is the first we're hearing of the game, and it doesn't come with a release window. However, Project M is part of an initiative that NCSoft calls "NCing"; the studio is attempting to be more transparent with its development process. As a result of that initiative, NCSoft says it wants to use "trailer videos, interviews, novels, and webtoons", among other media, to show off the development progress of its games. It shouldn't be too much longer until we hear more about Project M, hopefully. Right now, NCSoft has only confirmed a launch for consoles, so we don't yet know if the game is coming to PC or not.
In the meantime, if you want to keep up to date with Project M's progress, then you should keep an eye on the studio's official website, as well as social channels like Facebook and Instagram. Naturally, we'll also bring you more on this rather intriguing-looking game as soon as we get it. Lest you think NCSoft is abandoning its traditional focus on MMOs, don't worry; Guild Wars 2 recently got a major new expansion, and MMOs like Lineage II and Blade & Soul are still very much active. Stay tuned for more on Project M.
