From Far Cry to 'Korean Witcher' — Why a Former Ubisoft Exec is Adapting a Fantasy Franchise the West Has Barely Heard of

IGN

by Tom Phillips

February 26, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

After spending over a decade at Ubisoft on iconic franchises like *Far Cry* and *Rainbow Six*, veteran developer Patrik Méthé has embarked on an ambitious new project: *Project Windless*, a open-world action RPG centered around a towering bird warrior. This game marks Méthé’s departure from familiar territory, as he joins forces with South Korean studio Krafton to adapt the wildly popular but lesser-known fantasy franchise *The Bird That Drinks Tears*. The novel series, beloved in Korea, serves as the foundation for this bold new IP, which aims to introduce Western audiences to a unique and richly detailed world. Méthé emphasizes that *Project Windless* is not a direct adaptation of the source material but rather an origin story set over 1,000 years before the novels. This creative approach allows the game to establish its own lore while drawing inspiration from the established IP. The protagonist, a towering bird warrior, stands out as a unique and memorable character, designed to captivate players with his larger-than-life presence. Méthé highlights the game’s potential to serve as an accessible entry point for both fans of the novels and newcomers alike, ensuring that immersion and understanding are not tied to prior knowledge of the source material. The development process has been anything but straightforward, with Méthé tasked with building a studio from scratch while crafting this ambitious title. Krafton Montreal now houses over 90 developers, with an additional 40 collaborators in Seoul. Méthé reflects on how his journey began after leaving Ubisoft, when he received a query from Krafton—a company he initially overlooked until realizing it was behind *PUBG*. The pitch to adapt *The Bird That Drinks Tears* into a Western-friendly IP intrigued him, but he stressed the need for careful planning and expertise to avoid clichés or shallow marketing tactics. Méthé’s approach has been to leverage the established lore of the novels while creating a fresh narrative tailored for gaming. By setting the story far in the past, the team gains creative freedom to build a universe that feels cohesive

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Originally published on IGN on 2/26/2026