Korean-made games fronted by zombies are knocking on the global market one after another.

Since the film ‘Night of the Living Dead’, zombies, which successfully expanded into the realm of popular culture, are now consumed not merely as horror characters but as a key narrative device that tests humanity in extreme scenarios such as the collapse of community.

In the global game market as well, zombies are increasingly valued as a ‘universal cheat code that mixes with any genre’.

Recently, beyond simply killing zombies, ‘real survival simulations’where you gather supplies in a collapsed world overrun by zombies and compete with other survivors to stay alivehave emerged as the mainstream. Korean game companies are jumping into zombie-survival competition across platforms and genres in line with this trend.

The game ‘Midnight Workers’ from Wemade Max, which began Steam Early Access on the 29th of last month, is a PvPvE hardcore extraction shooter set in a massive high-rise overrun by zombies.

The extraction-shooter genre became familiar thanks to the big hit ‘ARC Raiders’, developed by Embark Studios, a subsidiary of Nexon, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide.

Developed by One Way Ticket Studio, the game is set in the confined space of a high-rise, and its core appeal is the tension of having to escape while competing not only against zombies but also other survivors as the environment changes on each floor.

The game supports squad play for up to three. Players fight zombies while competing or engaging in firefights with other teams; if they die in combat, they lose all gear and items, but successful extraction grants all loot and rewards.

‘Midnight Workers’ plans to keep adding new content through updates during Early Access, with the goal of a full release within the year.

Joycity, after launching the mobile strategy game ‘Biohazard Survival Unit’, co-developed with Aniplex, in 151 countries worldwide last November, officially released it in Korea and Taiwan on the 5th.

It expands the universe of the iconic Capcom IP, the ‘Biohazard’ (Resident Evil) series; whereas the existing series focused on narrative, this installment emphasizes survival and co-op play at the ‘unit’ level.

It delivers the sense of fear of the original through various game modes, and alongside the appeal of real-time strategic battles, the key to gameplay is how you manage resources with allies to survive against zombies.

Leveraging these features, ‘Biohazard Survival Unit’ surpassed 5 million cumulative downloads worldwide on the 6th and is enjoying success.

Midnight Workers

Biohazard Survival Unit

The Kakao Games title ‘God Save Birmingham’, which features the unique concept of surviving against zombies with blades instead of guns, will also hold its first closed alpha test on Steam in two rounds: the 20th24th and the 27thMarch 3.

Developed by Ocean Drive Studio, a Kakao Games subsidiary, ‘God Save Birmingham’ is set in 14th-century medieval England. It drew attention at international game shows such as ‘PAX East’ and ‘gamescom’ last year, emerging as a globally anticipated title.

In the game, survivors must hold rough blacksmith tools or swords to fend off hordes of zombies; the combination of realistic combat and the uniquely grim survival methods of the medieval period promises a distinctive tactile feel.

On the 13th, Kakao Games unveiled a new gameplay video. It showcases more refined survival mechanics, including a ‘more concretized guide system’, ‘expanded content such as new weapons’, and ‘equipment durability and health management elements’.

Kakao Games is preparing ‘God Save Birmingham’ with the aim of launching in the third quarter of this year.

The anticipated Nexon title ‘Nakwon: LAST PARADISE’ will also hold a global closed alpha test on March 12.

Developed by Mintrocket, ‘Nakwon’ is a multiplayer PvPvE zombie survival game set in post-apocalyptic Seoul, where survivors struggle to stay alive.

Survivors use the ‘Yeouido’ district as their base, living there by day and venturing into the city teeming with infected at night to secure resources. Depending on the situation, players must make various strategic choices, such as sneaking past the infected or attacking other survivors.

Instead of clearing zombies with overwhelming firepower, the game places greater emphasis on ‘everyday-life survival’: keeping noise down, scavenging scrap paper, securing food, and returning to Nakwon (the Yeouido safe zone). The familiar scenery of downtown Seoul is expected to add to the immersion.

This test will greatly enhance life content in the post-apocalyptic world. It adds a personal lodging space where you can place various furniture and carry out activities that use them, perform different tasks as time passes, and experience new events each day. In addition, new NPCs and arious shops and other service systems will be added throughout downtown Yeouido to further heighten the sense of immersion in survival and daily life within the ‘Nakwon’ universe.