South Korean mobile gaming giant Netmarble is excited to join the metaverse with its NFT game entries. Netmarble Metaverse will first release A3: Still Alive, a play-to-earn NFT game allowing players to monetize intangible in-game assets.
Netmarble Metaverse starts off with a solid reputation
The company has already made a name for itself, having created mobile games that gained global fans for years.
Netmarble, the Korean gaming company founded in 2000 by Bang Jun-hyuk, has been known for developing Lineage 2 Revolution (L2R). L2R easily became one of the highest-grossing mobile games in the market.
Other games Netmarble is famous for include Seven Knights, Everybody’s Marble, and Raven (Evilbane in the US).
My personal favorite is Netmarble’s Marvel: Future Fight, being a Marvel fan myself.
Meanwhile, K-pop fans worldwide have gushed over BTS World, the game Netmarble developed in partnership with the internationally renowned group BTS.
A3: Still Alive will be the first NFT game in Netmarble Universe
Bang made the exciting announcement that Netmarble is preparing to launch 20 new games. About 70% or around 14 of these upcoming releases will use blockchain technology.
Among these new creations, A3: Still Alive will be Netmarble’s first play-to-earn NFT game. Everyone is expecting the release of its blockchain-based features in March 2022.
Pre-register now to Netmarble’s A3: Still Alive Inetrion Dungeon Update
A3: Still Alive and its blockchain-linked update is now open for pre-registration. As of this writing, the game’s main landing page is already showing the iOS and Google Play download links.
The game was first launched in November 2020 and has gone through several updates. This year, in the wake of Metaverse and blockchain games, A3 is adding a new Inetrion Dungeon update.
If you pre-register soon, you’ll receive rewards such as in-game items.
Mint a new coin, INETRIUM, and use it in the real world
True to its promise of “breaking the barrier between game and reality,” A3: Still Alive will feature crypto coin minting.
Players can enter the “Inetrion Dungeon” and kill Inetrion monsters to acquire an Inetrion Ore. You can then go to the Refinery to refine the ore, and therefore mint a new coin called “INETRIUM” or ITU for short.
ITU is A3’s first global blockchain-based coin. Soon, you’ll be able to exchange INETRIUM for external cryptocurrencies.
The primary premise of the game is you have to “stay alive,” so you could actually collect Inetrion Ores and convert them into the coin INETRIUM.
If you change your mind, you could also convert INETRIUM back into Inetrion Ore and use it to power yourself up in the game.
Netmarble Metaverse and NFT games to target gamers worldwide
Gaming industry regulators in South Korea have banned play-to-earn games for fear of fueling addiction and gambling among their youth.
Thus, Netmarble will focus on developing its NFT games for a more global audience. After all, from 2020 alone, it looks like only about 33% of its gamers are from South Korea. North American gamers also compose about the same chunk, while European fans comprise about 12%.
The rest are from Japan (8%), Southeast Asia (10%), and other countries (4%).
In 2021, 74% of Netmarble’s sales came from its global audience. This number might rise to above 80% in 2022.
Netmarble is expanding itself fully into the blockchain business
Netmarble is indeed advancing into the blockchain industry. Bang announced in an official Netmarble event that the company will develop itself into a full-fledged blockchain business.
Among the other NFT games Netmarble is working on is Everybody’s Marble: Metaworld. This game will use blockchain technologies to allow players to purchase land in a virtual, metaworld. Game players will be able to build a real-estate-based metaverse platform.
Moreover, Netmarble plans to combine blockchain not only with games, but also with webtoons, web novels, and commerce.
Another interesting plan is for Netmarble to introduce metahuman virtual female idols, some of which have been named Lina, Hena, and Siu. They could appear as in-game characters and perform as virtual actors and singers.
This and the next few years will certainly be an exciting time not only for gamers but also for fans of everything Korean.
With everyone jumping into the metaverse age, the possibilities in the entertainment and gaming industries are endless.
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