"Once a stronghold for a group of survivors, now an expedition zone for those who reside in NAKWON."
Hello Survivors,
We’re excited to introduce the very first edition of 'NAKWON Note' where we’ll be sharing development updates, behind-the-scenes insights, and stories from the team.
In this first entry, we’re giving you a sneak peek of our new map, “Shopping Mall.”
This large scale shopping complex features a casino, luxury boutiques, and a megamart. It was once home to a thriving community of survivors.
In the early days of the outbreak, survivors relied on supplies from the mart. Over time, they moved into the luxury wing, bringing in mattresses and daily essentials to create a shelter where they could eat, sleep, and survive. Casino chips were adopted as a new form of currency, and parts of the mall were turned into playgrounds and makeshift farms.
To protect themselves from the infected and other hostile survivors, they set up checkpoints at the entrances. However, conflict eventually broke out between the survivor group in the mall and the NAKWON Governance Committee. At the end, the mall became an expedition zone for NAKWON.
But there are some unsettling traces left behind. The structures set in the underground parking lot resemble a fighting arena, and the VIP rooms in the casino suggest that people continued to indulge in luxury even after the outbreak.
Many untold stories remain buried in the shopping mall, and it awaits your exploration.
Originally, all the expeditions in NAKWON were supposed to take place only within Jongno.
However, after the Pre-Alpha test, the demand for new regions increased significantly. This made us reconsider our approach.
We had to pick somewhere other than Jongno, and in the process we found ourselves asking a fundamental question: “What is the reason for introducing a new map in the first place?”
When players enter a new map for the first time, they're bound to expect something they've never experienced before — which naturally led us to ask: what can we offer that Jongno North and South never did? That question became the driving force behind the new map.
To achieve this, we decided that the foundation of the space itself had to change.
Unlike the open, urban layout of Jongno, we began exploring vertical environments across Seoul. We ended up choosing a large shopping mall in Yeongdeungpo area as our core inspiration.
We reworked this massive indoor space to better fit NAKWON's gameplay. Areas that were relatively less interesting, such as movie theaters, were removed, and more interactive and engaging features such as casinos were added to improve the experience.
At the same time, we went beyond the idea of a simple mall full of resources. Instead, we shaped it into a former survivor stronghold to add more depth to its narrative.
Because this map takes place entirely indoors, unlike previous expedition areas, we had to redesign the expedition routes and extraction method from the ground up. This naturally led to new vertical paths where players move floor by floor. It also required a new map layout system capable of viewing multiple floors.
Though this new map is still in development, we believe it will offer a new kind of experience that sets it apart from anything we have shown before. We are working hard to make sure it delivers moments that truly stand out when you finally get to play it.
The world of NAKWON is continuing to take shape.
We’ll be back with the next NAKWON Note, covering a new topic.
Join the conversation on our Discord channel and share your thoughts with us.
And don’t forget to add NAKWON to your Steam wishlist and follow us.
Thank you.