CINDER CITY Prepares for its First Pre-Alpha Test with an Ambitious Multiplayer Vision

CINDER CITY is becoming an appealing new choice for players seeking a large-scale online shooter. The game is combining tactical third-person combat with a shared open world, character abilities, vehicles, and large multiplayer activities. 

Its first pre-alpha test is scheduled to take place from August 14 to August 16, giving selected players their first opportunity to experience the game for themselves. While the test will initially be limited to the United States, the developers have confirmed that additional tests covering other regions are planned.

The first test is being used to evaluate the game's systems while the project remains in early development. 

Access is not guaranteed for everyone who signs up, as applicants will be selected by the developers. The test will also operate under a strict non-disclosure agreement, meaning participants will not be permitted to publicly share gameplay footage or details from the build. 

CINDER CITY was originally revealed under the name Project LLL and immediately attracted attention because of its combination of ideas from several popular online shooters. The game features tactical firefights and cover-based combat reminiscent of The Division, while its abilities and large-scale multiplayer systems bring to mind games such as Destiny and Anthem. 

Big Fire Games is developing the project, while NCSoft, the company known for games such as Guild Wars, is publishing it. Rather than officially describing CINDER CITY as a traditional looter shooter, the developers have positioned it as an MMO tactical shooter combined with an open-world cinematic third-person shooter. 

Even without the looter-shooter label, its structure is clearly aimed at players who enjoy collecting equipment, improving their characters, and returning to an online world for new activities. It also appears designed to keep players engaged over the long term by regularly giving them new goals to pursue.

Set in an alternate version of Korea, the game takes place after a strange future incident that changed the course of mankind’s history. Seoul is a dangerous mixture of technologies and times, a place where futuristic equipment can coexist with elements from other times. 

As a Cinder Knight, you are the hero of Seven, and he sets out to find his missing daughter. Although the game appears to place a significant emphasis on its story and cinematic missions, the campaign is not intended to be the main focus.

Instead, the larger goal is to build an online world where players can spend most of their time completing activities together. 

The developers have previously described the playable city as being around 7 by 7 kilometers, which would give CINDER CITY a sizeable environment to explore. More importantly, that world is expected to grow over time, potentially expanding the amount of space and activities available after launch.

The number of players sharing that environment could make the world feel even more ambitious. The developers have reportedly conducted internal tests with between 150 and 200 players moving through the same world at once. 

That is a significant number for an online shooter and could allow the city to feel much more active than a traditional multiplayer map. The final player count has not been confirmed, however, so it remains unclear exactly how many people will eventually be able to occupy the world simultaneously.

Combat is built around third-person shooting and cover mechanics, but CINDER CITY is not simply trying to copy The Division. The game also incorporates abilities that give its characters additional ways to deal with enemies and support their teams. 

Rather than using a traditional class structure built around fixed roles such as tanks and healers, the game uses different Cinder Knights equipped with their own tactical weapons and abilities. The developers are currently targeting nine playable characters at launch, although that number could change as development continues.

The developers have already shown several abilities, including attacks that let characters fire rockets from equipment mounted on their backs. 

Another skill puts a protective shield dome around a squad that offers a defensive option in combat. These abilities are intended to give players more freedom when dealing with encounters, especially when combined with the cover-based shooting in the game. 

Movement around the world will not be limited to running between objectives, either. CINDER CITY features several different vehicles for traversal and combat. Footage has shown motorcycles, cars, helicopters, and even a large mech that players can get into and control. 

The multiplayer content is arguably CINDER CITY’s biggest potential. The game is being designed to include cooperative missions, instanced dungeons, and large-scale world raids. The developers have promised that there will be plenty of end-game PvE content, including huge boss fights and dungeons where players will have to coordinate their equipment and tactics.

Raids are important, especially because they allow the game to create encounters based on teamwork and not simply shooting. The big bosses can demand that players master their attack patterns, juggle different mechanics, and coordinate with the rest of their group. 

Well-designed puzzles and environmental mechanics might also add some variety to these encounters, instead of just making every activity a boss rush. But we haven’t seen enough of the endgame from the developers to know exactly how these systems will play out.

One big piece of CINDER CITY’s design remains unknown: progression. 

The game is similar to looter shooters, but the developers have not fully explained how the gameplay loop will work. The developers have yet to properly reveal details about weapons, gear rarities, builds, crafting, and long-term progression. 

Without that information, it is difficult to know how much time players will actually spend improving their characters once they have completed the game's major story content. A clearer progression system could therefore be crucial in giving players a reason to keep returning after finishing the main campaign.

Monetization is another unanswered question that could have a major effect on how the game is received. The developers have not explained whether all of the Cinder Knights will be unlocked through gameplay or whether some will require additional purchases. The same uncertainty applies to other progression and customization systems. 

With players already wary of online games that launch with aggressive monetization, CINDER CITY will need to be careful about how it handles these systems if it wants to avoid frustrating its audience. This means being transparent about what can be achieved through normal play and ensuring that purchases don’t overshadow the game’s core progression.

The release date is also not completely locked down. 

NCSoft had previously targeted CINDER CITY for a second-half 2026 launch, but the game is still in pre-alpha, so that window could change. The next test indicates that there is still a lot of development and testing to be done before the project is ready for a full launch. 

Currently, the team is developing the game for PC and console, although they still need to confirm the exact console platforms. As development moves forward, we will learn closer to launch what consoles the game will be available on.

CINDER CITY has ambitious plans but still has some key questions to answer for now. Tactical shooting, character abilities, a vast shared world, vehicles, co-op missions, dungeons, and raids all come together to give it a solid foundation. 

The upcoming pre-alpha should allow the developers to test whether those systems can actually function together at scale. If Big Fire Games can deliver on the game’s potential while creating a rewarding progression system and fair monetization model, CINDER CITY could become a notable new name in the MMO shooter space.