Developers behind one of the most profitable video game franchises will „strike indefinitely” amid conflicts over bonuses

The developers of one of the world’s most financially successful video game franchises are on strike indefinitely, according to reports from ThisIsGame, shared by Automaton. The developer in question is Neople, who western audiences might recognize for the well-reviewed action game The First Berserker: Khazan, which was released earlier this year. Khazan is a smaller part of the larger Dungeon Fighter franchise, which is vastly more popular in Asian markets. The main dispute between Neople and its owner Nexon is with the Dungeon Fighter mobile team.

Developers of Dungeon Fighter mobile elevate ongoing strike for greater bonus transparency

The dispute has to do with bonuses. Recently, the mobile team was meant to get a bonus that then shrank by 30%, while executives saw bonuses grow by more than 10 times the usual. As the creators of one of the world’s most successful franchises, the employees have taken power into their own hands. On July 31st, Neople’s union reportedly ramped up the strike effort, walking out five days a week rather than the previous three, and the strike will continue “indefinitely,” as reported by ThisIsGame.

The team’s main goal in this strike appears to be greater transparency about how bonuses are determined. The imbalance in the recent increase for executives and decrease for employees does not reflect the revenue generated by this team. The Dungeon Fighter franchise has earned $22 billion as of May of last year, according to PocketGamer.biz. Plus, the team has already been promised a solid bonus from the executives.

Negotiations began on August 1st, and Neople will hand out roughly $44 million in bonuses to the Dungeon Fighter mobile team, which will certainly make things better. But the negotiations are ongoing, and reportedly the union has said there will be “no concessions” when it comes to Neople “directly distributing operating profits to employees,” via Automaton.

This is not the only time in recent months that Nexon-owned studios have had issues with planned bonuses. Unknown Worlds Entertainment, the team behind the hit indie underwater survival game Subnautica, recently had its leadership fired. The former leadership team is now filing a breach of contract lawsuit against Nexon and arguing that Nexon delayed the early access release of Subnautica 2 to avoid paying a $250 million bonus to the development team.

The First Berserker: Khazan

March 27, 2025

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