NC (formerly NCSOFT) has released a second developer video for CINDER CITY, BigFire Games' sci-fi open-world shooter set in a dystopian near-future Seoul, walking players through its Tactical Gear and co-op boss fights.
According to a release, the video went out on October 19th 2026. It follows the Gamescom 2026 trailer, which introduced the game's protagonist, Seven. This one is about combat. Familiar modern firearms sit alongside futuristic 23rd-century weapons, and the full video is on YouTube.
Open-world shooters let players roam one large map instead of moving through separate levels. Here, that map is Seoul.
Tactical Gear and weapons
The core of combat, the release says, is ‘Tactical Gear’: character-specific skills that ‘redefine the battlefield’. That covers specialized shields, support bots, firearms, deployable traps and shield recovery. Each piece uses different resources. Cooldowns differ, too.
Players are meant to find the best combination for each fight. According to the announcement, that is the key to becoming ‘the ultimate Cinderknight’ (the game's name for its players' characters).
Vehicles and mechs in Seoul
Motorbikes, cars, helicopters and power loaders are spread across the city. The release says each vehicle and mech has its own purpose and weapons. A helicopter gives air superiority in a boss fight; a Power Loader brings raw firepower.
Exploration ties into multiplayer. Players moving through Seoul may run into other Cinderknights doing side missions or dynamic events. They can join in and help without forming a party, which NC calls ‘a more seamless multiplayer experience’.
Boss fights and co-op raids
Field bosses turn up during exploration. Solo players, the release suggests, should retreat (and come back with a bigger squad). Instanced Dungeons are tighter four-player activities. Each boss there has its own mechanics, so clearing them takes teamwork, planning and smart use of Tactical Gear.
Open World bosses sit at the top. According to the release, they are the game's biggest events: large-scale co-op raids in which ‘countless Cinderknights’ take on a ‘mammoth world-changing entity’.
NC has not shared a release date in the announcement. CINDER CITY can be wishlisted on Steam, and NC points players to the official website and its Discord for more.
NC America is the Western publishing division of NC, the company behind original IPs such as Blade & Soul, Lineage, AION and Guild Wars. Based in Irvine, California, it handles live production and publishing for select NC titles in North America, South America, Europe and Oceania. NC America also plans to launch original third-party titles worldwide.
The following was sent as a press release to Inven Global.
