Director Kim Tae-gon: Project: Jindallae kicked off entirely because players kept nagging us to recreate the original Imjinrok. Since the title is 25 years old now, diving straight back into the retro version comes with plenty of friction, yet so many people still yearn for that classic gameplay loop. Our core objective is to deliver a near-remake that veterans can slip right back into with ease. We are keeping unit types and traits remarkably faithful to the original, steering the development philosophy so that wave after wave of sweet nostalgia hits you.

Of course, we are not naive; the RTS genre is hardly sitting at the peak of its powers these days. That said, we reckon modern AI can pick up a fair share of the slack. Much like how StarCraft recently made waves by beefing up its bot performance, we are building systems that leverage AI to enable all sorts of wild playstyles. On top of that, we are packing in a robust map editor so players can design their own stages, ensuring a truly player-driven sandbox environment.

Director Kim Tae-gon: While running Imjin War: Counterattack of Joseon and chatting closely with the community, the sheer volume of requests to bring back Imjinrok was simply overwhelming, just as I mentioned earlier. Realising there is a massive pool of players harbouring fiercely intense memories of the original gave us the courage to finally take the plunge.

There is also a neat marketing synergy at play here, where newcomers pulled into Project: Jindallae might naturally flow over into Imjin War: Counterattack of Joseon. Look, as you probably know, the gaming landscape right now is rough. With folks spending their leisure time on Netflix or scrolling through short-form videos, the old-school virtuous circles simply do not fire anymore, and marketing efficiency has tanked. In this climate, crafting an entirely new game acts as a form of marketing in itself—a genuine way to show dedication and keep an ongoing dialogue going with your audience.

Besides, ever since setting up Red Zingo Games, I have wanted to flesh out an Imjin War universe, and that ambition hasn't changed. We built an RPG around the era, and outside of RTS, we are even chewing over the idea of a Musou-style action game. Different genres, sure, but it comes with the solid efficiency perk of recycling existing assets.

Director Kim Tae-gon: We are hovering around 10 developers. Compared to the roughly 60 people thrown at Imjin War: Counterattack of Joseon, this is effectively an internal indie-sized team. The studio's flagship title remains Imjin War: Counterattack of Joseon, and pumping massive financial resources into this project would inevitably force us to squeeze players with harsh monetization. Instead, a core group of seasoned veterans is steering the wheel, and thanks to advanced AI tooling, our workflow efficiency has skyrocketed compared to the old days. Honestly, back when I used to code solo, figuring out simple pathfinding used to drive me up the wall; nowadays, development cycles are shorter and the overall quality looks brilliantly polished.

Director Kim Tae-gon: Preserving the original identity of Imjinrok is our priority. Arbitrarily flipping traits would carry a massive risk of alienating our loyal fanbase, so we are keeping the distinct flavours intact: speedy Japan, powerhouse Ming, and well-rounded Joseon. However, we are bumping up quality-of-life features and modern scalability to the absolute maximum.

On the balance front, we are not losing too much sleep over it. While tuning balance is never a walk in the park, we live in a golden age for gathering telemetry data compared to the old days. Back then, developers had to lock themselves in a room and grind through hundreds of matches manually; today, we can pull live player data straight through Steam and analyse it on the fly, making balancing a much smoother ride. Plus, RTS games inherently carry a lighter balancing burden than MMORPGs.

Director Kim Tae-gon: Our primary goal is capturing the tactical nuances of the original as closely as possible. If it starts raining, streams become impassable, or potatoes regrow so you can harvest resources again. We are also bringing back classic variables from Imjinrok, like using air units for sneaky backline drops or having vision locked down entirely at night for sudden guerrilla raids. Pretty much all the classic strategies will have a place here.

Reviewing Imjinrok while building Project: Jindallae has been an eye-opener; even for a 25-year-old game, the sheer depth of implemented mechanics is staggering. Frankly, just getting all of that working took an immense amount of elbow grease, which honestly surprised us. Getting those foundations locked down is step one, and step two is polishing away all the clunky bits that plagued the original.

Director Kim Tae-gon: First off, we are doing our utmost to respect core historical fidelity. Publicly sensitive touchpoints, such as the architectural design of the Turtle Ship or Admiral Yi Sun-sin's attire, are handled with absolute strictness. But sandbox titles need a dash of fantastical flair to actually be fun. For instance, putting Admiral Yi in Western full plate armour would be completely absurd, but letting him unleash mystical energy blasts fits comfortably within our acceptable margin of creative liberty. Striking that fine balance between actual history and gameplay imagination without crossing the line is the heartbeat of developing historical games.

Director Kim Tae-gon: To be completely frank, we have zero plans to implement special gimmicks for global players or compromise our aesthetic choices just to appease foreign markets. This is our history and our culture, so we zeroed in on authentically preserving local nuances and geographical vibes like rice paddies, traditional village guardian posts, and thatched-roof cottages. We will provide language localisations, sure, but we aren't going to warp the core gameplay just to suit overseas palates. We want to present our heritage raw and unfiltered, and any international players who vibe with that are more than welcome to join the ride.

Director Kim Tae-gon: Since we are still actively assembling unit rosters for all three factions, the single-player campaign is currently in its early stages. Rather than heavy storytelling, the upcoming single-player suite leans closer to a tutorial sandbox where players can drill down and practice strategies. The real heartbeat of the game is the editor tool, letting users custom-build their own maps, unit placements, and event triggers. Our ultimate goal is simply laying down the playground for players to run wild in.

Director Kim Tae-gon: Because the source material is ancient history, unearthing the original design intent and combat quirks was a massive headache. We dug through dusty old design documents and tried all sorts of experimental approaches, which we ultimately smoothed out with the help of accumulated internet data archives and modern AI. Of course, our team still double-checked everything manually, but seeing it all come together was a genuinely staggering experience.

Director Kim Tae-gon: The most delightful surprise during the test was how granular the players' feedback has become. Early on, people mostly chimed in with general pathfinding tweaks, but now we are seeing deeply sophisticated arguments regarding complex unit counter-matchups. That proves their foundational understanding of the game has shot up significantly, which we see as an absolute win.

Thanks to insights like these, we genuinely feel like we are building this game hand-in-hand with our community. That is why we are making it a point to share patch notes regularly and push out rapid-fire adjustments.

Director Kim Tae-gon: We are currently penciling in a broad release window for sometime next year rather than locking down Q1. We are sitting at roughly 40% completion, though the most time-consuming and back-breaking hurdle—engine development—is firmly behind us. Right now, we have shifted gears into slotting in the asset packs for Japan and Ming right after Joseon, and production speed is finally hitting a comfortable stride.

Director Kim Tae-gon: We haven't mapped out every single fine detail just yet, but introducing fresh factions, extra units, and new maps are all well within the realm of possibility. Beyond just playing the game, though, spectator value is huge, so I am keen to explore its potential as an esports discipline. Truth be told, there are still legacy Imjinrok tournaments kicking around out there, and given its roots as a historical RTS, it sits on a rather promising foundation for competitive play.

Director Kim Tae-gon: Project: Jindallae is a game born entirely from the unwavering support and passionate requests of our players, built collectively with you all. Please do not think of this as just another 'Kim Tae-gon game'—look at it as our heartfelt tribute to the fans who have cherished Imjinrok for a full quarter of a century. You have already waited 25 long years, so if you could just grant us one more year of patience, we would be endlessly grateful. We are planning to host multiple playtests ahead of launch, so please keep throwing your valuable feedback our way and stay tuned.