Netmarble said on Thursday it announced improvements identified through a closed beta test (CBT) in a developer note for its multiplayer open-world action RPG The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin and changed the release date from January to March.

Goo Dohyung, the Netmarble F&C producer who oversees development of The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, said in the developer note that a comprehensive review of user feedback and play data collected from the CBT held in November showed a need to revamp the combat system and strengthen exploration convenience.

The improvements will proceed in three main directions: controls, the combat system, and UI and UX. Controls will be refined to allow freer character handling, and to link actions more quickly to enhance an immersive feel of a living open world.

The combat system will keep and strengthen the core fun of the well-received tag action and burst systems, while also improving various systems such as evasion and combined attacks.

Netmarble also plans to apply standard key mapping for more intuitive controls and enhance features such as pathfinding to prevent disruptions to gameplay flow.

Goo said, "I feel deeply sorry to users who have been waiting because of the change in the release date," adding, "We will do our best to raise the quality by the amount of time we delayed it so that we can deliver a satisfactory experience in March."

The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is a multiplayer open-world action RPG based on the popular manga The Seven Deadly Sins, which has recorded cumulative global sales of more than 55 million copies. Users can freely explore the continent of Britannia and enjoy tag battles that switch heroes in crises, powerful combined attacks, and action that changes depending on weapon and hero combinations. Multiplayer elements include forming a party with friends in the open world to go on adventures or challenge bosses.

Last year, Netmarble actively participated in global game shows such as Gamescom and the Tokyo Game Show to introduce The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin to overseas markets. It also conducted a CBT for global users last year and received positive evaluations, with 95 percent of respondents in a participant survey saying they were willing to play after the official release.

The game is set for a simultaneous global release on console, PC and mobile platforms. The console version will be serviced on PlayStation 5, and the PC version through Steam. Users can also register the game on wishlists on the PS Store and the Steam page.