Durango' Creator Lee Eun-seok Begins Development on Next Game at KRAFTON's

New development team established 10 months after leaving Nexon; genre and platform unannounced

'Durango' Creator Lee Eun-seok Begins Development on Next Game at KRAFTON's Paparang Studio

Doohyun "Biit" Lee [email protected] Sep 22, 2026 Korean (한국어) KO Add us on

Director Lee Eun-seok has officially begun developing his next title at KRAFTON. KRAFTON confirmed the establishment of a new development unit, "Paparang Studio," led by Director Lee. Having remained in the planning and evaluation phase since joining in February, Director Lee has now formed a dedicated studio and kicked off development roughly seven months later.

Director Lee is a first-generation developer with over 20 years of experience creating games at Nexon. He participated in the development of 'Mabinogi' and directed 'Vindictus', which swept six categories, including the Grand Prize, at the 2010 Korea Game Awards. He later led the open-world survival MMORPG 'Durango: Wild Lands' and the medieval PvP action title 'Warhaven'. He is regarded as a developer who consistently pursues experimental endeavors across various genres.

After leaving Nexon in November 2025, Director Lee joined KRAFTON in February 2026. When news of his joining surfaced in late April, KRAFTON responded to press inquiries by stating, "It is true that former Director Lee Eun-seok has joined KRAFTON," adding, "His specific role and development responsibilities have not yet been finalized." At the time, Director Lee was reported to be adjusting to the organization while reviewing several proposals for new projects. The establishment of Paparang Studio indicates that the outcome of those reviews has now materialized into a dedicated development unit.

It remains unknown what kind of game Paparang Studio is developing.

Director Lee's arrival is an extension of KRAFTON's talent recruitment strategy aimed at discovering its next major IP following PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. On January 21, KRAFTON announced plans to expand its creative studios to 19. In 2025 alone, the company recruited 15 creative leads, some of whom took charge of new studios.

Former Nexon veteran Kim Seong-hun leads '9B Studio,' while former Nexon vice president Noh Jeong-hwan heads 'OmniCraft Labs.' Bae Hyeong-uk, who oversaw the 'CookieRun' series, established 'Loonshot Games,' and Lee Chang-myung, who led the 'Anipang' series, founded 'Olivetree Games.'

KRAFTON disclosed plans to manage a pipeline of 26 new titles and release 12 of them within two years. The strategy involves securing a core fanbase first in proven markets and nurturing successful projects into franchise IPs. Director Lee, who established the 'Vindictus' IP during his time at Nexon, is now adding a new project to this pipeline.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of AI. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. [Read Original]

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Doohyun "Biit" Lee

[email protected]