Krafton, the parent company of PUBG, is adding another studio to its roster: it is Neon Giant, developer of the excellent cyberpunk action RPG "The Ascent" (opens in new tab).

News of the acquisition came via a bland statement in Krafton's Q3 financial report (opens in new tab).

"Krafton continues to invest in its development and service capabilities to ensure a steady pipeline of premium titles. The company announced plans to acquire Neon Giant (The Ascent), a Swedish studio currently working on open-world FPS games; Krafton also plans to establish a major Canadian studio to lead development of The Bird That Drinks Tears project. studio in Canada to lead the development of The Bird That Drinks Tears project."

Krafton also announced plans to acquire The Bird That Drinks Tears studio in Canada.

The Bird That Drinks Tears is a game concept based on a popular Korean fantasy novel series (written by Lee Yeong-do). The official website still lists it as an "unannounced project (opens in new tab)" and little is known about the game, but a "visual concept trailer (opens in new tab)" was released in September, and it looks like it could be very interesting.

Ascent, which will be released in 2021, is definitely very interesting: we called it "one of the most fascinating cyberpunk worlds on PC" in 84% of our reviews.

From the opulent casino Golden Satori to the desolate and dilapidated slums of Black Lake, this is a master class in creating a sense of place and establishing an atmosphere. Note that while the screenshots may look like a CRPG like "Shadowrun," it is above all a fast-paced, challenging, almost arcade-like shooter.

Krafton has not yet reached the level of the Embracer Group (opens in new tab) acquisition, but it is visibly getting bigger; the Neon Giant acquisition is not yet complete, but once it is, it will be joined by PUBG Studios, Callisto Protocol (open in new tab) developer Striking Distance Studios, and Unknown Worlds, makers of Subnautica, would join the lineup.