The details of Kakao Games' new MMORPG 'Dokkaebi World' have been revealed.

On August 20, Kakao Games held a media showcase in Seoul featuring a presentation of the game and a joint interview with the developers. Development is led by Supercat, the studio behind 'The Kingdom of the Winds: Yeon'. The official launch is scheduled for October, and pre-registration opened at 12:00 PM on the day of the event.

In his welcoming remarks, Kakao Games CEO Lee Si-woo stated, "We have captured an unmatched sentiment, an original worldview, and the core fun of MMORPGs with a modern sensibility." Lee added that the company's principle is to discover long-lasting IPs and partner with capable developers to deliver stable services, emphasizing that 'Dokkaebi World' was prepared under this same principle.

An Eastern-style MMORPG based on traditional folklore, featuring Supercat's distinct 2.5D characters

During the presentation, Supercat PD Park Sung-jun summarized the game into four key aspects: an Eastern-style MMORPG based on traditional folklore rendered in 2.5D, the removal of class boundaries, a structure appealing to both casual and core players through clan-focused cooperation and opt-in PvP, and the prior release of the original IP 'Myeolgwi Sudojeon' on Naver Series and Naver Webtoon.

The visual style combines 2D pixel characters with 3D backgrounds. Supercat explained that rather than simply overlaying pixel characters onto 3D environments, real-time 3D lighting and shadows were applied directly to the pixel characters themselves. Traditional Korean elements such as tiled roofs, fortress walls, and jangseung (totem poles) are placed throughout the environments.

The game's universe is adapted from the web novel 'Myeolgwi Sudojeon'. REDICE STUDIO, known for webtoon adaptations of 'Solo Leveling' and 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint', participated in producing the webtoon, and discussions regarding world expansion were held with the original creators from the early stages of game development. The game's storyline takes place 300 years before the events of the original web novel. Characters described only as legends in the original work can be directly controlled by players in the game. In-game content features monsters from traditional Korean folklore, including Bulgasari.

Deck building combining 12 skill types

Combat has no class distinctions. Players construct their own fighting style by freely combining 12 skill types; equipping three or more skills of the same type unlocks an ultimate skill for that attribute. Ultimate skills are designed differently depending on the attribute. Skills grow through enhancement, engraving, and breakthrough.

The development team revealed that there are approximately 90 skills. They explained that changing combinations according to situations and content to create one's own combat meta is a key differentiator and core appeal of the game. Addressing concerns about build homogenization, they responded that spells were designed so that no specific combination holds an absolute advantage.

Clan-focused cooperative content is the core appeal of 'Dokkaebi World'

PvP occurs exclusively in dedicated areas entered via matchmaking. On open-field hunting grounds within servers, open-world PK is entirely blocked. The development team explained that tier-based matchmaking according to combat power has been implemented so that free-to-play and low-spending players can also experience victory.

Character growth revolves around clans. Joining a clan grants growth buffs, and entering content together with clan members adds exclusive buffs. Even while offline, players can dispatch avatars to participate in clan content.

Cooperative content includes Barrier Defense (protecting the central barrier), Raids with cooperation buffs for participating clan members, Field Bosses offering larger rewards with more participants, and the seasonal Tower of Ascension. Competitive content features Falling Flower Battlefield (a score-based large-scale battlefield), Garden of Enchantment (where clan competition and cooperation coexist), Sacred Treasure Scramble (competing for divine artifacts), and Dimensional Conquest (where three servers clash). Dimensional Conquest supports up to 9,000 participants.

The game also includes 'Myorong', an AI assistant that analyzes in-game activity data to suggest growth directions. It operates by comparing recent combat power trends with average stats of players in similar combat power brackets to highlight lacking stats. The development team stated that the feature will be provided at a beta level during the initial launch phase. Items requiring paid currency will be excluded from recommendations.

'Dokkaebi Assembly' has also been established to gather player feedback. It is expected to serve as a communication hub between developers and players, with developers directly answering submitted feedback and sharing the outcomes.

Monetization structure and update plans to be disclosed in the future

The monetization structure was not disclosed on this day. Kakao Games stated that it plans to offer memberships and passes using Spirit Stones and sell outfits and mounts as standalone products, but maintained that pricing and package compositions will remain under review until launch. The update roadmap was also not revealed.

Currency is divided into three categories. Paid currency 'Spirit Stones' is used for memberships and passes; growth currency 'Yeopjeon' is used for enhancement and character progression; and player trading currency 'Geumjeon' is used for purchasing exchange items. Geumjeon is earned through gameplay. Kakao Games explained that because the economy revolves around free currency, the burden of monetization has been reduced.

Regarding bot farm issues resulting from setting exchange currency to free currency, the company responded that it would address them using operational expertise accumulated from previous MMORPG services alongside dedicated systemic measures. In response to concerns over overlapping pixel aesthetics with 'The Kingdom of the Winds: Yeon', they explained that they focused on rendering the original IP in a three-dimensional manner. Regarding the October launch being later than competing titles, they pointed to the cooperative structure free of open-field PK and classless skill combinations as key differentiators.

Concluding the presentation, PD Park Sung-jun expressed confidence in 'Dokkaebi World', stating, "We will show you the answer we have prepared for a long time." CEO Lee Si-woo also promised to build an MMORPG that communicates with players over a long period and moves forward together.