The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin was heavily shaped by the COVID pandemic, Do-hyung Koo says
By Marco Wutz
Officially announced earlier this year with a planned release date in the second half of 2025, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is an open-world RPG for PC, PS5, iOS, and Android from Netmarble with high hopes to make a big splash in a competitive market segment. Powered by a robust IP, the game may not look all that different from similar titles coming out of China, but is something of a big step for the South Korean studio.
While the country has always made RPGs and MMORPGs, Korean gamers’ love for competition has shaped these games to be very focused on PvP. 7DS Origin breaks the mold in this respect by focusing on more casual, cooperative play that appeals to a wider, global audience.
Ahead of 7DS Origin’s appearance at Tokyo Game Show 2025, DBLTAP had the opportunity to question executive producer Do-hyung Koo and find out more about the game via email, which brought to light why Netmarble is breaking with the traditional Korean RPG doctrine. We also learned more about the game’s pet and combat systems as well as the difficulties the studio faced when it came to adapting a beloved IP into a different medium.
You can read the full 7DS Origin Q&A with Netmarble’s Do-hyung Koo below.
Q: What’s the most important element of adapting manga material into video game form, especially when you add your own, original content to the world?
A: There are many important elements, but what we prioritized the most was how to capture the charm of the original characters from The Seven Deadly Sins. Each character in the original series has their own unique charms, and we wanted to bring out that individuality not only through the story, but also through in-game skills, cinematic direction, animations, and quests. We worked meticulously so that longtime fans would feel the authenticity, while new players could naturally be drawn to the characters’ appeal.
When adding original elements to The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, we focused on two key points.
The first was: How can we introduce elements never seen in the original series without undermining it, while blending them in naturally? For fans to truly enjoy The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, we felt it was essential to strictly preserve the world and its settings, while at the same time offering new experiences and perspectives that didn’t exist in the original series.
The second was: How can we make the game fun and engaging for both longtime fans and newcomers alike? For fans, we reinterpreted familiar characters and iconic moments to provide a fresh experience, and for those unfamiliar with the series, we structured it so they could immerse themselves in the story as a standalone game. To achieve this, we respected the original while introducing a new timeline and events unique to The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, allowing players to expand their adventure themselves. We also incorporated various homage elements, so that fans could enjoy moments of recognition and delight, while new players could discover fresh intrigue.
Q: What makes the 7DS IP a great setting for an open-world RPG in your eyes?
A: Rather than simply thinking, “This IP fits well with an open-world RPG,” the stronger motivation from the very beginning was the desire to bring this world to life specifically as an open world. One of the most memorable scenes for me in the original series was when Merlin punishes Vivian by teleporting her across different regions. That moment strongly sparked my imagination, thinking “There must be countless regions and secrets in this world that I haven’t yet seen.”
With that inspiration, we wanted fans to be able to set foot on the continent of Britannia themselves, uncover hidden stories and adventures, and experience the charm of the original series in an entirely new way. Whereas The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross delivered the joy of following the heartwarming story of the original series, I believe the unique strength of The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin lies in providing a freer, more active experience of exploring the world and expanding new adventures through the open-world format.
Of course, bringing a manga IP into an open-world RPG was not an easy process. We had to faithfully respect the original settings, such as the characters’ unique abilities, weapons, and power balance, while also introducing variations or new elements where it was necessary to make the game enjoyable. And because open-world RPGs emphasize freedom, there was always a significant risk of damaging the integrity of the source material. That’s why we dedicated so much effort to creating a world that would resonate not only with our development team but also with the many gamers who are fans of the original.
As a fan of the series myself, I constantly asked how we could best express the vast and diverse world of The Seven Deadly Sins and its captivating characters within the game. As a result, our ongoing development has been driven by the goal of honoring the original world while also delivering new experiences that can only be enjoyed in The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin.
Q: What is 7DS: Origin’s business model? Will it be free-to-play with a gacha system for characters and weapons?
A: Our principle is to deliver the best possible experience optimized for each platform, while keeping the core fun and accessibility of content consistent across all versions.
We are also carefully designing the business model so that both longtime fans of the IP and new players can enjoy the game without feeling pressured. The business model will primarily focus on the optional collection of characters and weapons, while avoiding any approach that disadvantages a particular platform or harms the overall player experience.
Q: The market for anime-style open-world RPGs is very competitive. What convinces you that 7DS: Origin can stand out and prove itself among so many rivals?
A: To be honest, we didn’t have a clear guarantee that “we’ll definitely succeed.” What we believed, though, was that the only thing our team could truly do was pour everything into making the best game possible.
When the development of The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin was first decided, our biggest concern was identifying what would make this game competitive and unique. Personally, I wanted the game to strike that classic RPG balance, not so difficult that it becomes frustrating, but not so simple that it feels shallow, where players can enjoy the process of growth and adaptation. At the same time, while thinking about differentiation, many of the ideas we came up with risked feeling unfamiliar or overly complex to players, and that was a constant concern.
Development for The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting people in person was difficult, yet I still had that desire to share experiences with close friends. That’s where the idea came from: instead of creating a game focused on competing with large numbers of people, why not build an RPG where you can have fun adventuring together with your friends? I also strongly believed that, within the world of The Seven Deadly Sins, the ability to meet new friends and embark on adventures together would be an even more special experience for fans.
From those thoughts, we decided to pursue server-based development. Even now, the game is plenty enjoyable as a solo experience, but we’ve been putting a lot of effort into ensuring that playing together with friends makes it an even more rewarding adventure.
Q: How does the ability of characters to fight with three different weapons interact with the party-based combat system? Will using different weapons unlock different tag attacks?
A: In The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, each character can freely switch between three different weapons. This weapon switching isn’t just about changing attack styles; it also directly affects how that character links with other members of the party.
For example, when a character has a specific weapon equipped and certain conditions align with another party member’s weapon or skill, a new type of tag attack can be triggered. This means that even the same character can bring entirely different combo patterns and tactics to the party depending on which weapon they’re using.
In other words, weapon switching adds not only variety to individual combat styles but also greater depth to party-based strategy and cooperation. Players can adapt their weapons to the situation, discover new joint attacks, and continually experiment with fresh tactical approaches, making combat feel dynamic rather than repetitive.
Q: Does every character correspond to a class or archetype like you usually find them in RPGs or do characters radically change playstyle when switching weapons?
A: Like I mentioned, each character can equip three different types of weapons in The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin. Because of this, characters aren’t locked into fixed roles like “healer” or “tank” as you’d see in a traditional RPG.
Instead, every time a weapon is switched, that character’s entire skill set changes, which means their role in battle can shift dramatically. Players need to think strategically about when to switch weapons and how to build their party’s overall role composition based on the situation.
In other words, rather than relying on a rigid class system, the game allows players to freely shape roles through weapon choices and party composition. This makes combat far more dynamic and greatly enhances the fun of crafting your own tactics.
Q: What kinds of progression systems does the game feature for characters? Just levels and ability unlocks, or will there be equipment you can find in the world as well?
A: The character growth system in The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin goes beyond simple leveling. It’s designed around developing mastery over the three different weapon types each character can use.
At first, only the basic weapon is available. But as players progress their shared mastery, additional weapons gradually unlock, expanding the range of skill sets and combat styles through weapon switching. Later on, each weapon’s mastery can be individually developed, allowing the character to become progressively stronger and more distinctive.
In addition, we’ve incorporated equipment farming through field exploration and dungeon challenges, making use of the open-world structure. It’s not just about acquiring gear with higher stats: special options and set effects on equipment allow players to maximize and personalize their own combat style.
Q: How will the game’s pet system work? Can you go out into the world and tame every animal you find, or do you obtain pets through specific events or quests?
A: Not every animal in the world can be tamed; specific tameable creatures are placed throughout the map. Some rare pets can only be encountered by meeting certain conditions or exploring hidden areas, offering not just the joy of collection but also discovery and challenge.
Pets can also be obtained through various exploration content, such as field bosses, dungeon bosses, and even fishing.
Among the pets you acquire, some come with unique appearances, skills, and special abilities. They’re designed to be more than just companions: they can serve as meaningful strategic options for the player.
Q: Will there be any significant differences between the PC/PS5 and mobile versions of the game to reach a stable performance on mobile?
A: Performance and overall content won’t differ significantly between platforms. However, we’ve optimized the UI and controls to suit each device. On mobile, the UI is simplified and intuitive for touch-based input, while on PC and console, the interface is tailored for controller and keyboard use. That said, the core experience and the way information is delivered remain consistent, so players can enjoy a seamless experience even when switching between platforms.
We’ve also applied various optimizations to ensure the best possible performance: delivering top-tier graphical quality on high-end environments like PS5, while guaranteeing stable and smooth gameplay on lower-spec devices and mobile. Our focus has been on accessibility, making sure the game can be enjoyed consistently across all platforms.
Q: How do you plan on supporting the game in the long term? What kind of content can players expect post launch?
A: Beyond free exploration, puzzles, and collection content, we’ve also included taming, life activities, side quests, and multiplayer events. This ensures a layered experience that goes far beyond combat alone. In addition, we’ve expanded on events and backstories of characters that were only briefly mentioned in the original, presenting them through side quests and secret dungeons. This allows fans to fill in gaps in the lore and enjoy the thrill of discovery, while newcomers can naturally come to understand the world as they explore.
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