Blade & Soul is getting a prequel called Hongmoon Rising

In a completely unexpected move, NCsoft has announced the development of a Blade & Soul prequel called Blade & Soul: Hongmoon Rising. In the works thanks to a partnership with China giant Tencent Games, Hongmoon Rising will initially launch on PC and mobile, with a VR version under consideration.

The story takes place before the events of the actual Blade & Soul game, with the rise of the Hongmoon Clan. The game mechanics and combat shouldn't differ from Blade & Soul, but there's still no word on a release schedule.

Here's the announcement trailer.