Cinder City: Everything We Know About NC’s Open-World PvE Shooter

NC, the publisher formerly known as NCSOFT, has lifted the lid on Cinder City, its upcoming open-world third-person shooter developed by BigFire Games. The announcement comes alongside the launch of an official Steam page, giving players their first proper look at the game and the opportunity to add it to their Wish Lists ahead of release.

A new Developer Video Preview has also been released, featuring gameplay footage captured from the current development build. Lead Concept Artist Samuel King and Project Manager GH Shin front the video, walking viewers through the game’s setting and the team’s creative vision. It is a promising first glimpse at what BigFire Games has been building, and the footage points to something with a fair amount of ambition behind it.

Cinder City is set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic version of Seoul, a city now overrun by mutated creatures and violent criminal organisations. At the centre of the story is a character named Seven, whose mission to rescue his daughter Joi provides the emotional backbone of what is described as a narrative-driven experience. That blend of personal stakes and large-scale chaos is clearly a deliberate design choice, giving the open world a sense of purpose beyond simple destruction.

On the gameplay side, Cinder City is built around cooperative multiplayer PvE, with players working together to tackle challenges scattered across the city. The developers are emphasising immersive visuals and large-scale encounters, positioning the game as a cinematic experience as much as a mechanical one. The open-world structure suggests plenty of room for emergent moments, particularly in multiplayer where coordination will likely be key.

NC has also refreshed the official Cinder City website and launched a Discord channel, where the team plans to share development updates as the project progresses. No release date has been confirmed at this stage, but players can head to the Steam page now to Wish List the game and stay up to date. For the latest news, the official Cinder City website and Discord are the places to watch.