Project Windless Is a New Open World Action RPG Based on Korean Fantasy Novel Series The Bird That Drinks Tears
One of the biggest curveballs from the February 2026 State of Play broadcast was the reveal of Project Windless, a premium single player open world action RPG currently in development at KRAFTON Montréal. The project is rooted in the fantasy universe of The Bird That Drinks Tears by Korean novelist Lee Youngdo, a series that has often been positioned as a cultural heavyweight in Korean fantasy storytelling.
In a statement shared alongside the reveal, Patrik Méthé, Head of KRAFTON Montréal Studio and Creative Director, positioned Project Windless as a player driven fantasy war sandbox, with agency as the core design pillar:
From the start, we asked ourselves what it really means to play a legendary figure in a fantasy world. For us, that meant giving players real agency, not just in combat, but in how wars unfold, how alliances are formed, and how history is written. Project Windless is built around the idea that legend is not something you observe, it is something you actively create through play.
Project Windless is set roughly 1,500 years before the events of the original novels, a strategic prequel framing that lets the team tap into recognizable lore while still carving out original narrative real estate. The story focuses on the origins of the Hero King, the legendary founder of the Aragit Kingdom.
From a franchise execution standpoint, it is a smart positioning move. A prequel timeline keeps the setting authentic and meaningful, while giving the studio the flexibility to create new conflicts, factions, and characters without being locked into the exact sequencing of the books.
KRAFTON Montréal confirmed four distinct races that define the world’s political and military ecosystem:
The Tokabi: Tricksters who wield fire and magic, known for laughing in the face of death.
The Humans: Ambitious and strategic, constantly maneuvering to shift the balance of power.
The Naga: A cold blooded reptilian race defined by high intelligence and a ruthless desire for domination.
The Rekkon: The bird like playable race, depicted as fierce nomadic warriors with immense size and speed, driven by a singular life wish.
The initial trailer leans heavily into scale and spectacle, suggesting the Rekkon fantasy is not subtle power fantasy, but an overwhelming battlefield presence.
In the first developer diary, KRAFTON Montréal outlined how it plans to deliver large scale warfare that goes beyond scripted set pieces. Combat was described as brutal, visceral, and overwhelming, with players frequently facing dozens or even hundreds of enemies at once, consistent with Rekkon lore and physical dominance.
To make that feasible, the team is using a new Mass Entity AI technology designed to simulate hundreds or thousands of reactive characters. The stated goal is to turn routine encounters into unpredictable war scenarios that feel systemic rather than staged, effectively aiming for a one versus many experience with real battlefield volatility rather than a static mob swarm.
Project Windless is being developed as a premium single player experience for PC and consoles. There is currently no release window.
From a market readiness angle, that likely means KRAFTON is still in the early phase of building out its core technology stack, content pipeline, and world simulation systems, particularly if Mass Entity AI is expected to be a defining differentiator rather than a marketing bullet point.
If Project Windless delivers on large scale reactive warfare, do you want the game to lean more toward tactical decision making and alliance management, or pure high intensity action and spectacle as a legendary warrior?
