Nexon reallocates Khazan team after lukewarm sales

Nexon's try at making its mark in the Western hardcore action RPG market with The First Berserker: Khazan didn't seem to pay off as hoped financially. Even though it was released to broaden the massive Dungeon & Fighter franchise, the game's commercial performance fell short of expectations, prompting an immediate internal shuffle. According to Yonhap News, Neople—the subsidiary in charge of development—has started moving a significant portion of the original team to other in-house projects. That's the sort of news that lowers the spirits of fans who enjoyed the concept, as it implies that long-term support and possible DLCs might have been shelved before completing a solid cycle.

The staff movement, described by Nexon as redirecting talent to more promising areas, raises eyebrows about the project's health. The game received an anniversary update on March 31, 2026, featuring digital outfits and technical improvements, but the sparkle of the new content was quickly overshadowed by the practical disbanding of the support team. It’s disheartening to observe that, although the game hit 30,000 players on Steam upon release last year, retention plummeted, demonstrating that the soulslikes niche is becoming increasingly unforgiving to those that don’t become an immediate phenomenon.

"Khazan showed that Dungeon & Fighter can reach new markets. We are now gearing up for its China launch, which will help validate its long-term potential." — said Nexon CEO, Junghun Lee, trying to remain optimistic in front of investors.

This gamble on the Chinese market, in partnership with Tencent, seems to be the last throw of the dice to salvage the investment. The delay in entering the Asian market was one of the strategic errors that undermined initial sales, and now the game must prove the brand’s worth there. It’s a massive burden for a title that already sees its developers being "parked" in the so-called Team R for new tasks. The subtle critique here is obvious: having stunning cel-shaded visuals and technical combat means little if the launch strategy ignores timing and the suggested price, which many players considered steep for what was delivered.

The redistribution of the Neople team might be sold as "efficient resource planning," but for industry observers, it reeks of premature maintenance mode. The question remains whether the Chinese audience will exhibit the enthusiasm missing in the West or if The First Berserker: Khazan will be remembered merely as an ambitious experiment that Nexon lacked the patience to nurture. The game's future now hangs on a miraculous performance in Asia, while here, the updates are likely to be limited to minor technical fixes.

Do you think the haste of big companies in reallocating teams when success isn't immediate ends up killing the potential of IPs that could shine with more support time?