We’re kicking off the first Dev Journal of Season 9! Today, we’d like to talk about one key topic: Optimization.

Season 9 Optimization Update & Current Status

As we announced during our last Dev Stream, we have applied major optimization improvements with the 9.0 Season Update.

Since optimization performance can vary significantly depending on each player’s PC environment, we always report results with caution. Even if the average numerical data improves, some players may not fully feel the difference under certain conditions.

On average, this Season 9 optimization update resulted in an increase of more than 10 FPS on PCs meeting the recommended specifications. In particular, we focused on reducing CPU load, so players who previously experienced frame drops due to CPU limitations should notice a greater improvement this time.

Through this Dev Journal’s survey, we’d like to hear your firsthand experience with the optimization changes, what’s improved, what still needs work, and use that feedback to guide our next steps and focus areas.

We’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to share your thoughts in the survey.

Q1. How would you rate the optimization of Season 9 compared to the previous season?

① Much worse.

② Slightly worse.

③ No change.

④ Slightly better.

⑤ Much better.

Q2. What kind of PC environment do you mainly use? (Short Answer - PC Specs)

(2-1) PC

① PC / Desktop PC

② Laptop

③ Other

(2-2) CPU

① Other

② Intel i3 or Ultra 3 / AMD Ryzen 3

③ Intel i5 or Ultra 5 / AMD Ryzen 5

④ Intel i7 or Ultra 7 / AMD Ryzen 7

⑤ Intel i9 or Ultra 9 / AMD Ryzen 9 or higher

(2-3) Memory (RAM)

① Other

② 8GB or lower

③ 16GB

④ 32GB

⑤ 64GB or higher

(2-4) GPU (graphics card)

① Other

② Integrated graphics (Intel Iris, AMD Radeon Graphics, etc.)

③ NVIDIA GTX 1050 ~ 1660 / RTX 2050 (or AMD RX 500–5500 series)

④ NVIDIA RTX 2060 ~ 4070 (or AMD RX 5600–7800 series)

⑤ NVIDIA RTX 4080 / 4090 / 5070 or higher (or AMD RX 7900 series, etc.)

(2-5) Other Specs (Short Answer)

Q3. What resolution do you usually play on? (Multiple Choice - Game Settings)

(3-1) Resolution Settings

① Other

② 1366 x 768 or higher

③ 1920 x 1080 or higher

④ 2560 x 1440 or higher

⑤ 3840 X 2160 or higher

(3-2) Framerate (FPS) settings

① Other

② 60 (default)

③ 120

④ 144

⑤ Unlimited

(3-3) Settings > Quality

① Low

② Medium

③ High

④ Ultra

(3-4) Game Storage Device

① Other

② SSD m.2

③ SSD SATA

④ HDD

Optimization Plans

Our next large-scale optimization push is planned alongside the Unity 6 engine upgrade. Based on issues identified through internal R&D, the Dev Journal survey, and customer support feedback, we’ll prioritize the most critical problems and work to improve measurable performance indicators.

In addition to big works like the engine upgrade, we’ll keep working in the smaller areas as well, carefully refining individual resources every patch. The goal of these smaller optimizations is to reduce performance variance in repeated, specific gameplay situations. Typical targets include FPS drops or stuttering tied to things like particular character skill uses, fights in certain locations, or phase transitions during late game.

For example, the upcoming 9.3 update will include 5 to 6 small improvements such as preloading certain SFX, efficiency gains in encryption, adjustments to wild animals processing (pooling, caching, etc.), and animation-related optimizations. These changes primarily aim to alleviate significant FPS drops early in the match, especially when Day 1 transitions into Night.

We’ll continue to closely review feedback from all channels on these ongoing, small-scale optimizations and use it to adjust our priorities.

Q4. If you experience performance issues such as frame drops, please describe when they occur. (Examples: large team fights (3+ teams), certain character skills, short freeze when crafting, etc.) (Short Answer)

We really appreciate your feedback, it’s what keeps us going, and we’ll continue doing our best to ensure that all of you can enjoy a smoother and more comfortable experience on Lumia Island.

Thank you, as always, for sticking with us.