Blade & Soul‘s PC version is finally upgrading its graphics and converting to Unreal Engine 4! The highly rated action combat MMORPG has been played publicly on the dated Unreal Engine 3 for over seven years while its more recent mobile and console counterparts are being developed in Unreal Engine 4 already. Here is to hoping that NCSoft will take full advantage of UE4’s graphical additions and cinematic options.

As Reddit user CJxOmni kindly translates,

“B&S is a highly rated PC MMORPG. In order for us to continue providing high quality content, we will be converting to Unreal Engine 4. The new engine has improved rendering speeds compared to traditional UE3, and the Physical Base Rendering (PBR) provides a deeper, more stable screen. The content after the engine update utilizes the engine’s high quality performance. The new monsters will be made using this to bring them to life. B&S’s Character style will be maintained as much as possible through the engine conversion while we aim to create a more complete graphic experience.”

We last heard NCSoft mention UE4 and Blade & Soul in the same sentence at the end of last year and now it’s finally coming true. It is no small task to transfer a game as big as Blade & Soul to a new engine, but one aspect that players seem to think makes it all worth the effort is optimization.

Will the update to Unreal Engine 4 come with significant improvements to optimization and FPS? Stay tuned for more information as this is only part 1 of the announcement. There will be a part 2 video.

Check out our MMO Releases By Month and Release Dates Calendar pages for the latest upcoming MMOs and major updates.

Source: B&S Sub-reddit