Smilegate and Npixel on July 22 held a showcase for their new massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) "Eclipse: The Awakening", which it calls Eclipse, and unveiled its development direction and key content. The core is "MMOLite", which aims to reduce burdens that arise during logins, purchases and competition.

Eclipse is a PC and mobile cross-platform MMORPG under development based on Unreal Engine 5. It carries an adults-only rating and targets an official domestic launch in September.

MMOLite keeps MMORPG fun while reducing burdens

Lee Sang-moon (이상문), a Npixel PD who oversees Eclipse's development, said, "These days it is an era in which not only games but also videos, short-form content and various content compete for users' time." He said, "We thought MMORPGs also need to change from a way that keeps holding on to users' time to a direction that coexists with users' lives while providing the deep fun unique to MMORPGs."

The assessment is that long login hours, repetitive chores and unwanted competition are leading to burdens and departures from MMORPGs. Based on that assessment, the developers set a principle: expand choice and reduce coercion.

The concept that embodies this is Eclipse's core "MMOLite". A compound of MMORPG and "Lite", MMOLite reflects a development philosophy of keeping the genre's depth while lowering the burden of play. It is implemented in three directions: "time lite" to reduce the burden of logging in, "pay lite" to reduce fatigue and uncertainty in purchases, and "stress lite" to lower the burden of competition.

There are also concerns that, given the nature of a live service where content accumulates, it will eventually become heavy like other MMORPGs. Lee said, "It is natural for content to be continuously added as a characteristic of the MMORPG genre, but I do not think having more content and increasing users' burden mean the same thing." He said, "The core philosophy of MMOLite is maintaining an experience where you can enjoy growth and combat at your own pace whenever you log in."

From sanctuary to combat builds... lower burdens and broaden choices

The key content that implements time lite is the "sanctuary". The sanctuary automatically produces resources needed for character growth, such as summon tickets, experience points and growth materials, as time passes. While logged in, users can collect them immediately, and while offline, rewards accumulate and can be obtained all at once upon reconnecting. Summon tickets obtained from the sanctuary can be used under the same standards as summon tickets sold in the shop.

The sanctuary is structured so that when you grow "constellations", both "relics" that produce resources and "seats" that support combat stats are strengthened. It is designed to let users feel growth through production and direct character growth at the same time. It also adds 24-hour offline artificial intelligence (AI) play so that growth continues even when not logged in. Lee explained, "The biggest purpose of introducing idle rewards is to ease the psychological burden of thinking, 'I fell behind because I couldn't log in.'"

Pay lite does not focus on reducing spending itself, but on reducing fatigue and uncertainty in the purchase process. It does not, however, exclude chance-based products themselves.

Shin Jae-ik (신재익), Smilegate's business chief director, said on why it kept chance-based products, "What we considered important was not whether chance-based products exist, but providing an experience in which users can sufficiently feel the value and satisfaction when they buy." He added, "We designed the business model in a direction that reduces the fatigue and uncertainty of having to repeat the same purchase to get the result you want, and lets users feel value and satisfaction proportional to what they buy."

The content that supports this is "Eclipse Time". Unlike existing hot-time systems that require logging in at set times, it is a system in which users directly activate time they hold at the moment they want and, through field play, can obtain key growth items at a high probability. It is designed so users can use it freely to match their schedules and play styles.

Stress lite is implemented through a design that does not force competition. Most areas are configured as safe zones so users can grow without the burden of player killing, and users who want higher rewards and faster growth can choose player-versus-player zones.

The faction-versus-faction (RvR) content "Highriver Battlefield" allows players to join immediately upon matching and runs for about 10 minutes. It allows unlimited resurrection without a death penalty, reducing the burden of long wait times and lengthy battles. In inter-server competition content, guild performance leads to a server-wide buff. After preliminary competitions within the server, a representative guild is selected to compete with representative guilds from other servers. It is designed so that light users can contribute without burden through a structure in which not only top users but also everyday play connects to guild and server competitiveness.

Another differentiator Eclipse highlights, along with easing burdens, is combat choices within a class. Eclipse consists of four classes: fighter, ranger, sorceress and assassin. Each class can choose from two weapon types, so even within the same class, combat style changes depending on weapon choice.

Lee said on why it chose weapon-switch customization instead of increasing classes, "Increasing classes is also a way, but since it is already a familiar experience in many games, we wanted to take a more distinctive and differentiating challenge." He said, "We judged it could provide new fun in that users can customize various combat styles as they want even within the same class."

It also adds a "skill fusion" system that combines two skills to create new effects, and an "authority system" that sets a combat direction by acquiring new authority skills. This is designed so each user can build different combat builds even if they choose the same class and weapon.

Original universe starts from the question, 'Why were gods born?'

Eclipse chose an original narrative that does not use existing intellectual property (IP). The setting is "Ederion", a world that seemed complete under the blessing of a god. A priest of the order, "Seraha", doubts the truth hidden behind peace and heads to the sanctuary, but after losing everything, reaches "Orthea", a world on the other side. Seraha's journey, in which she faces the truth of the world by her own choices rather than the will set by a god, runs through the game's universe.

Lee said it built its own mythology and universe by starting from the question, "Why were gods born and what do they exist for?", rather than following the premise of existing fantasy universes as they are.

Kim Dong-hyuk (김동혁), Npixel's lead artist who oversees art, said, "We reinterpreted the familiar astronomical phenomenon called 'eclipse' not as a simple background setting but as a key device that connects events and places that were previously unknown into one." Kim added it put effort into visually implementing the "sanctuary", a space that contains the secrets of the universe.

Eclipse is also drawing attention as Npixel's new MMORPG since "Gran Saga". Lee said, "Eclipse is a work that unfolds in a new direction the development experience Npixel has accumulated." He said, "The most important goal is to make an MMORPG that can be loved for a long time as Smilegate's live service operation capability and Npixel's development strength come together."

Eclipse was initially unveiled with a target of launching in 2025, but its release schedule was later delayed. Lee said, "The biggest reason was completeness." He said, "We thought the direction of MMOLite should not remain a simple message, but should be something users can clearly feel in actual play."

He said the team ran several tests during development to analyse play data and continuously refined the growth structure, combat and operational experience based on user feedback. Eclipse is in the final stage of development, targeting an official launch in September after this development process.