Nexon’s GTA-Style Open-World Game Project EL has been Canceled

Project EL was actually exactly the kind of game game that players have been wanting to see lately. A large open world, a sense of freedom, and a fantasy universe added on top of that made for a pretty ambitious idea. Especially considering the recent resurgence of open-world games, the cancellation of this project inevitably raises the question of “why?”.

Why Was Project EL Canceled?

It is known that Project EL had been in development for about two years and was scheduled to enter full production in 2024. So this wasn’t just an idea; it was a game with significant resources allocated, a team assembled, and considerable work done. Even the comparison to a “fantasy GTA” was enough to increase interest in the project.

However, the direction of things seems to have completely changed with the management change at Nexon. The company’s new president, Patrick Söderlund, is said to have decided to re-evaluate all projects from scratch and reshape the development process. This process inevitably led to the cancellation of some projects, and Project EL has become one of the most notable victims of this decision.

In fact, such decisions are not unfamiliar to the industry. Large companies sometimes shelve projects that are risky or don’t fit the current direction. But what’s striking here is that Project EL was an idea right in the middle of current trends. So, from a timing perspective, the cancellation decision is somewhat more surprising.

For the team working on the project, the process is not yet completely over. The developers are planned to be moved to other projects, and a comprehensive internal evaluation is underway. This shows that Nexon hasn’t completely backed down, but simply changed direction. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that the “fantasy GTA” idea sounded quite appealing. Therefore, the cancellation of Project EL leaves a feeling that a potentially great opportunity may have been missed.

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