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Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds has launched for PC and mobile platforms globally, following an East Asia launch in 2021. Unfortunately for some players interested in the game, developer NetMarble has opted to include crypto and blockchain integration into Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds. NetMarble also aims to bring NFT functionality to the game later in 2022. [Thanks, Noisy Pixel!]
Text on the game’s official website states that Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds “employs a gameplay-based blockchain system,” enabling players “to play to earn tokens through gameplay.” The team promises to “do [its] best to preserve the token values.”
The Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds crypto tokens take the form of “Territe” and “Asterite.” Territe is earned through regular activity, while Asterite is earned through PVP activity in the game’s arena mode. These currencies also function as resources used for character progression. They can be traded for the crypto tokens (NKT and NKA) that reside on Marblex, the blockchain operated by NetMarble across its games. Players can then trade and sell them to each other or to third parties. They can also trade for MBX, a NetMarble-exclusive cryptocurrency.
According to a content roadmap, NetMarble plans to add NFT functionality to Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds by “Q4 2022.”
NetMarble stated in a post from April 2022 that it intends blockchain and crypto integration for more than Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds. Games like A3: Still Alive and others already feature blockchain functions and MBX trading. These include the generation, sale, and trade of NFT assets and similar items.
NFT, blockchain, and cryptocurrency functions have become hot-button issues in the gaming space as companies jump on the crypto bandwagon. Meanwhile, attempts to cash in on the trend of “play-to-earn” games and NFT sales have generally met with disinterest or even hostility from audiences not already enthusiastic about crypto. Larger players like Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Bandai Namco have also expressed interest in blockchain integration, though, for the most part, those efforts are still in development, such as the Gundam Metaverse.
Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds is available on Android, iOS, and PC. Previous Ni no Kuni titles have no crypto integration and are available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
