• Samsung says that its HDR10+ technology will feature for the first time in a game with The First Descendant.
• The upcoming title, built on Unreal Engine 5, is a hero and squad-based third-person shooter from Japan’s NEXON.
• Players will be able to see The First Descendant running HDR10+ at Gamescom 2023 held from 23rd to 27th August.

South Korean tech giant Samsung says it will showcase its High Dynamic Range (HDR) 10+ gaming technology in upcoming title The First Descendant. The game, what looks like a squad-based third-person shooter is being developed by Japan’s NEXON.

The game will be the first time the tech has been seen with players getting a chance to experience it running HDR10+ at Gamescom 2023 held in Germany on the 23rd to 27th August.

In an announcement, Samsung says that HDR10+ represents the “ultimate HDR game experience.” It offers “deeper colour, contrast and brightness. It also enables more accurate depiction of details in dark shadows and bright highlights, which allows users to fully engage in their gaming adventure.”

“HDR10+ GAMING supports an optimized experience that eliminates the hassle of adjusting numerous manual settings. And it enables enhanced gameplay with near-instant responses through low latency and variable refresh rate support. Furthermore, the standard provides developers with tools that allow consistent and reliable HDR gaming experiences across all HDR10+ GAMING displays,” it continues.

Samsung built HDR10+ in 2018 together with HDR10+ Technologies, an American firm. It says that in 2023 the technology had 155 partners, and over 7 000 certified devices including TVs, monitors, smartphones, tablets and more. The First Descendant is the first time the technology will be used for gaming.

“We’re thrilled to join forces with NEXON, a true pioneer in video games, to introduce the world’s first HDR10+ GAMING title, ‘The First Descendant,’” enthused Seokwoo Jason Yong, EVP of the Visual Display Business at Samsung.

“This is a gaming milestone that goes beyond mere technological advancement; it represents Samsung’s continued commitment to enhance the gaming experience as technology evolves.”

Despite glowing praise from Samsung, NEXON has yet to put out any notable international releases. It is preparing to launch its first crossplay open beta for The First Descendant on 19th September 2023, and has been busy announcing new characters to join its stable, including Bunny. The game leverages Overwatch-style hero characters for multiplayer squad-based PVE combat.

By the look of the trailers, the graphical fidelity on display is stunning and should surely look even better with the HDR10+ technology. The game is also built on Unreal Engine 5, which is Epic’s latest and greatest.

Here’s hoping the gameplay itself is fun or otherwise it will fall into the realm of technical demo. It will launch on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S, X and One and PC.

[Image – NEXON]