Quick take:
- Netmarble has announced plans to launch metaverse and NFT games.
- The Korean Gaming giant said on Monday it is preparing to launch 20 new games with 70% of them integrated with metaverse and blockchain technologies.
- Bang Jun-hyuk, the founder and chairman of Netmarble said the games will have enjoyment and integration of intangible assets through NFTs.
Korean gaming giant Netmarble has announced plans to leap into the metaverse gaming craze with 14 blockchain games. The company said Monday it is preparing to launch 20 new games of which 70% will have intangible assets integration through non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
“The blockchain-based games made by Netmarble will integrate the enjoyment of games, along with intangible assets through NFT, and I believe that the gaming industry will grow even bigger than it is now,” Bang Jun-hyuk, Netmarble co-founder and Chairman said in a press conference.
According to the announcement, the first Netmarble game to have play-to-earn integration will be ‘A3: Still Alive’, launching in March. The new monetization model will allow players to earn by selling their in-game assets like weapons with crypto.
However, with Korea banning play-to-earn games in the country, Netmarble said its P2E games are aimed at its overseas customers.
In a statement released Friday, Jan. 28, the Korean gaming authority said in-game assets could lead to gambling addiction among the youth.
“If an in-game system allows users to exchange items with paid goods, there may be a chance of speculation, where the game may fall into the ‘age 18+’ classification, and not available for the youth under 18,” the Korean Game Rating And Administration Committee wrote.
The Korean government has however been one of the first adopters of the metaverse, recently launching a multi-pronged plan to become one of the largest metaverse markets globally.
One of Netmarble’s new blockchain games targets the metaverse and NFTs. The game called’ Everybody’s Marble: Metaworld’ will integrate the metaverse and NFT technologies allowing gamers to purchase digital land in the new virtual world. Players will also be able to build and trade tokenized “NFTized” real estate.
“The metaverse will not only transplant various elements from the game but also converge with the blockchain technology to create a second real world beyond the virtual,” Bang said.
Although Netmarble’s shares did not surge immediately after the announcement, the stock could gain significantly following the subsequent launch of its blockchain games.
Last year, Wemade’s stock rallied more than 400% in the following three months after its crypto-enabled blockchain game MIR4 was made available globally in August.
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