Dungeon Crawler Carl Meets The Finals in This Wild New FPS

Unveiled during the Opening Night Live showcase at Gamescom 2026, Like or Die is an upcoming first-person shooter developed by South Korea’s NC. Right out of the gate, the title bears a striking resemblance to Embark Studios’ The Finals. Everything from the extensive environmental destruction and traversal tools like jump pads and zip lines, down to the way defeated players disintegrate into pixelated cubes, shows that the game proudly embraces its influences.

However, the narrative framing puts a fresh spin on the formula. While The Finals places combatants in a televised arena backed by corporate sponsors and a massive crowd, Like or Die turns participants into live-streaming content creators. Your primary objective on the fictional broadcasting platform Quaya is to rack up likes. As your viewer engagement climbs, opportunistic sponsors take notice, showering high-performing players with valuable in-game gifts.

During a behind-closed-doors presentation at the convention, developers showcased deeper mechanical systems, concluding with a dramatic zoom-out revealing a cosmic black hole. Intrigued by the sudden interstellar shift, I sat down with Kim Hwan, NC’s head of intellectual property, to get some answers.

“Within this alternate version of Seoul, the viewership extends far beyond humanity,” Hwan clarified. “All sorts of extraterrestrials and bizarre entities are tuning in, and that black hole symbolizes the broader galaxy watching the broadcast. Space travelers are constantly passing by and keeping tabs on the action.”

The concept shares striking thematic DNA with sci-fi hits like Dungeon Crawler Carl, where contestants fight for survival while an intergalactic audience evaluates their performance, doling out spoils based on sheer entertainment value. That said, players shouldn’t expect to actually lay eyes on these cosmic spectators directly within the game.

Additionally, the official Steam page features an AI disclosure stating that “generative AI tools were utilized for auxiliary purposes in the production of some assets,” though these elements were refined and finalized by professional artists. While an official launch window has not yet been announced, the development team is targeting a closed playtest before the conclusion of the year.

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Source: Polygon