Krafton’s ‘NO LAW’ game, showcased at Gamescom 2026, is gaining attention not only for its content but also for its small development team of just 24 people. The game, billed as a AAA open-world FPS RPG, aims to show that high-quality games can be created without exorbitant budgets. Set in the cyber-noir port city of Port Desire, the story follows retired veteran Gray Harker on a quest for revenge. Developed by Neon Giant, based in Uppsala, Sweden, ‘NO LAW’ is set to be released in 2027 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game was first unveiled at The Game Awards and will showcase its gameplay at Gamescom 2026. Neon Giant co-founders Tor Frick and Arcade Berg presented the game and explained that their studio was founded as a critique of the gaming industry’s excessive budgets. Starting with just two people, Neon Giant has grown to a team of 24, with a focus on creating a dense and vertical open-world experience. The team, consisting of senior developers with extensive AAA experience, is aiming to provide players with a non-linear narrative and player agency, allowing for unique gameplay experiences. Port Desire, the setting for the game, is a cyberpunk city located at the border of three nations. It is an urban sandbox with narrow alleys and tightly packed vertical structures, described as a city that is “stable on the outside, but rotten on the inside.” This industrial cyber-grunge city is situated on coastal cliffs and serves as a trade hub surrounded by lush greenery. Frick emphasized that the city is the main focus of the game, aiming to create a living, breathing environment rather than just a backdrop for missions. The city operates on dynamic systems, including day-and-night cycles, weather changes, and AI reactions. Peacekeepers maintain a sense of order in this lawless city, with consequences for player actions being a key element of the gameplay loop. Players can explore the city from top to bottom, with emergent gameplay possibilities and lasting consequences for their choices. The game also emphasizes inventory management and meaningful choices in combat and skill development. The directors highlighted their approach to violence, aiming for a spectacle rather than gratuitous gore or suffering. They expressed confidence in the gunplay mechanics, drawing on their experience in developing shooter games. Focused on a central route with complete freedom in approach, the session lasted around 50 minutes in total. The demo was set in the early stages of the game, starting in the protagonist’s apartment building and introducing the dialogue system through an encounter with the landlord Roscoe. The demo then moved to Main Street during the day to showcase the shopping system at a store, before transitioning to the lower city where gangsters were prevalent. The breakdown of time per segment was approximately 2 minutes in the initial building, 5 minutes on Main Street, 20 minutes in the informant courtyard, 10 minutes in the apartment, and 13 minutes in the escape sequence. The core feature of the game is branching paths, with alternative routes available for each segment.
Berg provided detailed information about the apartment entry segment, where the player encounters Ren who is unwilling to let them in. The dialogue varies depending on the approach, with options including fighting, bribing, or using specific passwords to gain entry. Berg emphasized the importance of offering players multiple ways to progress through the game, rather than relying on violence as the only solution.
The developers revealed plans to replay the demo from a midpoint after completing it once, allowing players to explore different playstyles and choices. They emphasized the depth and breadth of gameplay possibilities in the game, encouraging players to experiment and discover new paths.
In response to comparisons with ‘Cyberpunk 2077’, the developers acknowledged the similarities but highlighted the differences in world texture and gameplay. They emphasized the personal and immersive nature of their game, focusing on a revenge storyline that is accessible to all players.
Neon Giant, a creative studio under Krafton, expressed confidence in the game’s potential based on positive reception and high wishlist numbers. They emphasized the importance of player feedback in shaping the final product, with the current build being a work in progress that will be showcased at Gamescom.
Overall, the developers aim to create a game where player choices and playstyles are respected, leading to unique and diverse gameplay experiences for each player. They hope to create a game that encourages players to share their experiences and discuss the different paths they took, showcasing the depth and complexity of the game’s world.
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