Company behind PUBG working on a new fantasy series ‘Project Windless’

A new Epic Fantasy in the making.

Krafton – The company behind PUBG is working on a new fantasy epic project “Project Windless.” Krafton is mainly known as the company behind the PUBG, which took it from the scratch and shake the whole mobile gaming world. Now, Krafton is working on a big fantasy series after licensing the Korean novel The Bird That Drinks Tears by Lee Yeong-do, a multimedia series including games and beyond, according to The Verge.

They [Krafton] called the project “Project Windless,” it is in its earliest stages of production. Legendary concept artist “Iain McCaig” and Kraftons’s art director Kwang Jae Son is now working on “Visual Bible” for the Project Windless. “It’s [Visual Bible] groundwork to first bring the book to life,” Jae Son explains. McCaig also knows his work in Starwars and Harry Potter.

During a conversation with The Verge McCaig said that his friend referred him towards this project and when he looked into it he becomes so much interested that he put aside his own projects.

“The Bird That Drinks Tears is unlike any other fantasy story I have ever read, with fresh new ways of exploring human nature, which is what always attracts me most,” -McCaig

This book differs from other fantasies like Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings because it focuses on Korean Folktales, says Jae Son. The Verge publishes the description of his work:

“The biggest charm of [Lee Yeong-do]’s works, especially The Bird That Drinks Tears, is that everything is novel. There are races where chickens and snakes are humanized, not to mention monsters from Korean folklore. Lee Yeong-do’s stories introduce a diverse element of novelty and each element organically interacts to create a unique world. It is difficult to visualize all these elements, but I am always mesmerized by the originality of the world he created. The beauty of this world is that it tells stories with contradictions and paradoxes. The greatest beings leave their ugliest traces and those that you truly loved betray you. These extreme pieces of the story throw questions to the readers, which makes the book’s themes more resonant and personal. It’s quite philosophical and can be analyzed and interpreted in a variety of ways. You could find that these elements make the novel challenge, but I think that that’s what makes it even greater. Depending on the values a reader holds, the theme constantly changes.”

McCaig says the work he is doing in Project Windless is like his work in many past projects.

“I always look for through-lines — things that connect and run throughout the entire saga — and visual themes that we can build upon and pay off later, too. It’s part detective work, part archaeology, part treasure hunt.” -McCaig

“The visual bible for The Bird That Drinks Tears will be provided to various artists, writers, and directors who will expand this work, so we are concentrating on building the world based on the story, character, and understanding of the original novel.” -Jae Son

Visual Bible is likely to be completed at the end of this year, according to the working duo.

Kraton provides some of the Concept Art images to The Verge. You can see them below:

Project Windless is Krafton’s plan to go beyond video games. It is a new area for them. Jae Son said that Krafton is looking into several other fantasy series to get guidance. He said: “Interestingly, The Witcher video game series was based on the original novels, but ironically the original novel became better known to the world thanks to the game. And since then, the IP has been produced as a series and has grown into a global IP loved by many. In this respect, The Witcher is a good role model for us.”