Summary
According to publisher Nexon,The First Berserker: Khazanfailed to meet sales expectations, but the company still sees the hardcore action RPG as a success. Released in March,The First Berserker: Khazanfits into developer Neople’s long-runningDungeon & Fighterseries, something the company is eager to promote more heavily in the West.
Critical and commercial reception of the action game has been largely positive, withThe First Berserker: Khazanboasting an average score of 81 onOpenCritic. The title’s gameplay in particular has won ample praise, with many fans enjoying its brutal blend of hack and slash and soulslike combat, along with its unique boss designs and character progression. Some complaints have been maderegardingThe First Berserker: Khazan’s lack of a pause button, though workarounds have been found for the issue. Despite boasting hundreds of positive reviews, recent reports indicate that the game hasn’t been as big a sales success as many would have expected.
According toNexon’s latest earnings report,The First Berserker: Khazanfailed to meet sales expectations for Q1. However, the publisher claimed that the title achieved its objective “as a strategic first step in a multi-year plan to introduceDungeon & FighterIP to a global audience.” While many in the West aren’t familiar withDungeon & Fighter, the original 2005 multiplayer beat ‘em up RPG grossed over $22 billion in lifetime revenue as of March 2023. Since then, it has spawned several spin-offs, though many of these either weren’t released in the West or have been delisted from online storefronts.The First Berserker: Khazanis set in theDungeon & Fighteruniverse, and the new game’s positive reception has reportedly set the stage for two new titles, dubbed Project OVERKILL andDungeon & Fighter: ARAD, both of which are expected to be released by 2027.
The First Berserker: Khazan Didn’t Meet Sales Expectations, but Successfully Promoted Dungeon & Fighter
In April, the development team announced First Berserker: Khazan’s future. The most recent update, released on May 15, added the Ultimate Challenge mode, which allows players to fight consecutive boss battles from the main menu. Additionally, the new Great General’s Crucible mode forces players to defeat groups of bosses using limited gear and resources. New loading screens have been added for both modes, along with several quality of life enhancements and bug fixes.
Neople recently revealedThe First Berserker: Khazan’s three deadliest bosses, with a detailed infographic also noting that players had died a combined 54,271,087 times as of April 10. Viper is listed as the toughest boss in the RPG, with over seven million player deaths attributed to the fearsome creature.
