Neople, a Nexon subsidiary, has reassigned the development team supporting The First Berserker: Khazan following disappointing commercial performance despite strong critical reception. The action RPG launched on March 27, 2025, but failed to maintain player engagement beyond its initial launch window, prompting Neople to reallocate resources to other projects.

The studio claims the game is in "completion stage" and that moving workers represents an efficiency measure. However, data from SteamDB tells a stark story of player abandonment: the game peaked at 32,929 concurrent players during launch but plummeted to around 2,000 daily players within weeks, with recent numbers dipping below 1,000 concurrent users. This dramatic decline occurred despite the game maintaining a "Very Positive" 90% rating on Steam.

While critics praised the game with a 78 Metacritic score and users gave it a 7.9 rating, commercial success proved elusive. The situation highlights the growing disconnect between critical acclaim and commercial viability in today's gaming market, where even well-reviewed titles can struggle to maintain player bases in an increasingly competitive landscape.