Neowiz co CEO (Sean Kim) mentions that LOP2 development is still going strong, but more importantly Director Choi and the team seem optimistic about it, which is hopeful.
“At this point, there is nothing specific we can share in detail,” he told Game Informer. “I can tell you that the team at Round8 Studio is excited about their work and fully focused on development.
“With the Lies of P DLC receiving further recognition through its various award wins and director Choi Ji-Won expressing strong confidence in the studio’s next project, we hope fans will continue to look forward to what’s ahead as much as we are.”
Lies of P 2 Team is “Fully Focused” on Development, But NEOWIZ Isn’t Sharing Specifics
Compilation of links I found of director choi discussing the DLC, from as way back as 2022.
It looks as though, as of 2022, the DLC would pertain to the world of Pinocchio, and we probably won't see Oz related stuff just yet as teased by the Dorothy appearance in the end cutscene. Given that the DLC is slated to be released soon-ish, we can assume that it's been planned far in advance and that the 2022 interview is relevant to the content of the DLC that will be released this year [Just my assumption].
Q. You reinterpreted the fairy tale ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’ as a cruel fairy tale. Do you have any plans to release other fairy tales in DLC form in the future?
[Choi Ji-won] Rather than thinking about another fairy tale, the DLC plans to unravel Lies of P's world as originally conceived. We are not immediately thinking about expanding the fairy tale with new material or new IP. Of course, if there is an attractive fairy tale, there's no hesitation in choosing it.
Gametok (KOR) [2022 Oct 17]
The worldview envisioned for Pinocchio is vast. I want to show a lot of what has been prepared through DLC. Rather than a new fairy tale, I want to [elaborate on the world of Lies of P]. However, if there is an attractive fairy tale there's no hesitation. We are fully willing to consider it as a next project.
gameabout (KOR) [2022 Oct 11] (Nearly the exact same answer)
gamey (KOR) [2022 Oct 17]
(from the same event/panel probably. Maybe this is just the exact same answer processed through different media outlets? I'm not sure)
DLC has been in preparation for some time. Plus, talk on expanding on the story elements in the main game, and pretty much confirming it will expand on "truths" that were not covered in the main story:[LETS GOOO]
Q I’m curious if there are any plans to add DLC or PvP content.
A General Director Choi Ji-won = DLC has been in preparation for some time. The 'Lies of P' worldview that was thought of at the beginning of development is much more extensive, and we plan to unravel that part through DLC. The main theme will be the journey to find the truth and explore the world that was not covered in the main story. PvP content is not being considered.
dailygame (KOR)[2023 June 9]
(Again, it seems like there is more to the story than what was really present in the final game.)
[Note!!: This may not confirm PVP content is not being considered *for the DLC*? This is what I think is a pre-release interview and he may be referring to PVP not being in the main game. I'm not sure. Although, I don't see PVP being added given LOP's linear style.]
I notice he mentions story in many cases when talking about the DLC. This makes me think that the DLC will be primarily story-focused:
gamey [KOR]
pinpoint news [KOR][2022 oct 17]
[from the director letter video, while talking about the DLC.]
- DLC를 통해 콘텐츠를 추가하거나 스토리를 확장할 계획이 있는지?
최지원 PD: 지금도 DLC의 구상을 하고 있다. 제대로 된 이야기가 보장된 작품을 만들고 싶은 욕심이 있다. 이 세계관과 관련된 다양한 이야기를 더 확실하게 확장하고 싶기 때문이다.
- Are there any plans to add content or expand the story through DLC?
PD Choi Ji-won: We are still thinking about DLC. The ambition is to create a work that guarantees a proper story. This is because [we] want to expand more clearly the various stories related to this [world/universe].
gameabout
"I'll put it this way: there are more stories I want to tell in Lies of P, so I hope [it] does well."
gamesindustry (ENG)[2023 Sept 20]
As of August 27 2023, he mentions that DLC has already gone into production (sportsseoul)(KOR):
More notes: LOP's development time was supposedly remarkably tight. It seems like it had a development time of roughly three years? LOP had tight goals and a very tightly focused scope (no multiplayer) to achieve that timeframe [also just a good article below]:
한국은 PC 패키지와 콘솔 게임 불모지에 속했다. 하지만 ‘배틀그라운드’의 등장으로 새로운 시장에 대한 관심이 증가했고, 자연스럽게 다양한 장르의 신작 개발이 추진됐다. 게임이 보편적인 취미가 되면서 다양성을 추구하는 유저가 늘어난 것도 이유로 꼽힌다
"South Korea belongs to the PC package and console game barren land" - article
Again, please note these are rough translations
The full list of links I found of LOP team mentioning the DLC below (also just a ref for myself):
Remembering that we could've gotten Commando P if Director Choi wasn't absolutely adamant on making a pretty protagonist
[BY 디스이즈게임] 게임스컴 2022의 최대 화제작은 <P의 거짓>입니다. 이는 결코 '국뽕' 섞은 과장이 아...
Q. Earlier in front of the booth I met a German guy who analyzes games based on psychology, and he said something I hadn't thought of. "Looks like the pretty-boy [Mishonyun KR/Bishounen in japanese] is popular. This pretty-boy is going to be a worldwide popular pretty-boy." He made this observation, did you think about this strategically when capturing the character?
A. (Choi) Actually, that's true. The truth is, during development PD Park [note: Jason Park, Round8 Studio Head] kept saying, "We have to make characters a bit more muscular, somewhat Commando-like, for a western audience," but I said, "Absolutely not. Any piece of media, whether it's a piece of entertainment or a cultural work, if it has a female fanbase, is automatically a success. Because of this it should firstly be a game that can be consumed by female fans."
Because, usually in soulslike games, the main character is not necessarily friendly to female fans. But because we had such a concept we can somewhat say that it was designed with this in mind.
(Park) You didn't listen to me. I think it's coming out great because you didn't listen to me.
[Please note, this is only a fan translation]
[So, I actually spent a bit of time deliberating over the ethics of the degrees of adding my own interpretations to translation posts. I want to translate things in a way that is somewhat fair. I think what he means by appealing to a female audience is appealing; but AS IN, they wanted a protagonist that maybe wasn't traditionally hyper-masculine (you know, like john videogame) that female players might want to play as. I don't know, I just feel like something like this may be important to clarify. The art team also mention that they weren't necessarily trying to design "pretty" characters. But again, this is more of a personal observation.]
I'm super late to the party but apparently THE DIRECTOR SANG THE END CREDITS SONG LOL
[reddit]
names in korean are typically three syllables, sometimes two. plus they are typically not gendered, so Choi JiWon ends up being quite a common name. still, There was an interview where he mentions being a musician himself, he had a band and everything. it does sound like him too. I remember listening to the end credits and wondering who the performer might be. I never would've guessed it!!
THIS IS NOW A JIWON CHOI FANPAGE
i told yall he was on that king shit
I assumed the singer would be some kind of kpop star, but he was also so not over-the-top like kpop performers tend to be. he was too guileless for it, almost.
News + progress "Updates" on the potential Lies of P movie/adaptation
from various media outlets
Neowiz mentions at a government shareholder/industry meeting that they have been approached by a "top north american film company" with a movie offer [korean, 2023 Oct 24] [link]
[Inverse] Jason Park (Round8 Studio head) at TGA, on actor Timothée Chalamet: “In the future, if we make a Lies of P show or movie, he could be the main actor” [2023 Dec 8][link]
Director Jiwon Choi confirms they are exploring offers from "various parties": (emphasis mine) [2023 Dec 22][link]
I cannot stress enough how much we appreciate the love players give to the world and the story of Lies of P. There sure are stories we could not introduce in the game, and I think it makes players wonder if Round8 Studio is willing to unfold those stories in different forms of media. We have received offers from various parties about it already.
It is too early to share any detailed plan for it now. However, I believe we can say that the Studio is exploring options to continue the story of Lies of P in a positive way.
Neowiz management seemingly confirms they have plans for movie adaptation in korean interview (also they now mention "multiple" parties) [google translate]
Two years ago today at Gamescom 2022, Director Choi made an acceptance speech that was so cringe that even Neowiz themselves clowned on it on their official SM outlet
[Choi's speech and BTS mention would later go viral and he even made it onto an sportskeeda article]
For some context: BTS are one of if not the most successful musical acts to ever come out of South Korea and are both culturally and economically, enormously influential. It's not cringe because of the BTS mention but basically because the phrase "Do you know x" is almost parodying the typical oblivious Korean tourist. It's hard to really explain the nuances of it (as it often is with any foreign meme or cultural quirk), and to be honest, I'm not really sure I understand it either lol. [There is even a namuwiki article on this meme that I think can articulate it better than I could (it's called Du Yu No lol): https://namu.wiki/w/두%20유%20노 ]
For even more context: Notably, BTS member Jin is also known for using this as his catchphrase, and even other BTS members think it's cringe LMAO
