The line snaked around the COEX convention center in Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district late last week, where hundreds of gamers waited more than three hours to step inside Nvidia Corp.’s GeForce Gamer Festival.
For many, the main attraction wasn’t the hardware displays or giveaways – it was NCSOFT Corp., the event’s sole developer, offering hands-on gameplay of Aion 2 and Cinder City, two unreleased titles powered by Nvidia’s newest graphics platform.
The scene offered a glimpse into how the two-decade alliance between NCSOFT and Nvidia continues to push the boundaries of high-fidelity gaming.
Aion 2, set for release on Nov. 19, is among the first major games to feature Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling 4 (DLSS 4), a suite of neural rendering technologies that uses artificial intelligence to boost frame rates, reduce latency and enhance image quality.
Powered by GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics processing units (GPUs) and fifth-generation Tensor Cores, DLSS 4 introduces multi-frame generation, enhanced ray reconstruction and super resolution, producing cinematic lighting and realistic textures in massive, complex worlds.
Nvidia says DLSS on RTX continues to evolve, constantly refined by its AI supercomputer in the cloud.
“It’s the best graphics I’ve ever seen in an RPG,” said one festival attendee after testing Aion 2. “Everything feels fluid and alive – even the smallest character details.”
TWO-DECADE PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES TO DRIVE GAMING INNOVATION
The partnership between the two companies dates back to the early 2000s, when Nvidia’s GPUs powered NCSOFT’s landmark titles, including Lineage II, Aion and Blade & Soul, helping define Korea’s reputation for visually ambitious online games.
“NCSOFT has long collaborated with Nvidia in pursuit of high-quality graphics and new technologies,” said Lee Sung-gu, the company’s chief business officer, during a brief on-stage appearance.
“We look forward to players’ continued support for Aion 2 and Cinder City, which are being developed using Nvidia’s latest advancements.”
The collaboration reflects a broader industry trend with game studios increasingly turning to AI-driven rendering and GPU acceleration to create more immersive, cross-platform experiences.
Analysts say NCSOFT’s early adoption of DLSS 4 could help position its upcoming titles for global rollout across PC and cloud platforms, setting a new bar for performance and visual realism.
Following its debut in Korea and Taiwan this month, Aion 2 is slated to launch in North America and Europe in 2026.
Cinder City, developed by NCSOFT’s BigFire Games studio, turns post-apocalyptic Seoul into an open-world tactical shooter, with districts modeled on real neighborhoods and large-scale co-op missions built for Nvidia’s latest ray-tracing technology.
It will hit the market next year.