Ni no Kuni: Cross Worldswas very recently released to the global gaming community, introducing new players and longtime fans to a fantastical world with vibrant characters and beautiful sights. It’s a free-to-play MMORPG set in the world ofNi no Kuni, and it even contains callbacks to the franchise’s previous titles. What setsCross Worldsapart from its predecessors, however, is its inclusion in a “blockchain ecosystem.”
Ni no Kuni: Cross Worldswas developed by Netmarble, a South Korean mobile game developer. It follows the story of a beta tester for the fictional game “Soul Divers,” which transports the player to the world ofNi no Kuni. Netmarble has since announced its intentions of integrating cryptocurrency trading and NFTs into the gacha game.
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Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds’ ‘Blockchain Ecosystem’
In March of 2022, Netmarble unveiled itsnew gaming blockchain ecosystem, MARBLEX. The company intends to attach its many gaming IPs to the MARBLEX blockchain, includingNi no Kuni: Cross Worlds, thus creating the so-called blockchain ecosystem. This is done by implementing in-game features through which players can acquire MBX tokens that they can use outside the game.
For instance,Ni no Kuni: Cross Worldshas Territe Tokens(NKT) and Asterite Tokens (NKA), both of which can be acquired simply by playing the game. These tokens will then go into the player’s MARBLEX Wallet and can be stored, exchanged, sold, or used to buy other products available in the blockchain ecosystem. In short, the tokens acquired inCross Worldscan be used to avail of MARBLEX blockchain services. This is how Netmarble “attached”Cross Worldsto its greater blockchain ecosystem.
Other games that will be or already are included in the MARBLEX blockchain areA3: STILL ALIVE, Monster Arena, The King of Fighters ARENA, and Meta World. Netmarble is also aware of thevolatility characteristic of cryptocurrenciesand has stated that the “team will do [its] best to preserve the token values.” Whether the developer can live up to this intention remains to be seen.
Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds NFTs are Coming
OnceNi no Kuni: Cross Worlds’cryptocurrency tokensand shops have been properly set up, players can expect more blockchain features. According to the 2022 roadmap on theCross Worldswebsite, Netmarble wants to add NFTs to the blockchain system before the end of the year. This is further explained in the MARBLEX white paper.
The document explains that games which involve character collection (thinkthe Wish system inGenshin Impact) are built on the community’s desire to improve player performance or their affection for certain characters. However, the character collection system’s weakness is that it provides or sells the same character to all users across the platform. In the words of MARBLEX, “it lacks user-specific unique characteristics.” This is why Netmarble wants to introduce NFTs to its ecosystem. It would allow players to truly “own” a version of a character — one they can customize to their preferences.
Unfortunately, things are already going downhill even before Netmarble can begin implementing NFTs, as shown on a Reddit post by user Tezoze. In the post, they share how players can easily purchase extremely overpowered PvP items, which would inevitably create an imbalance between players. In short, anyone can pay to win inCross Worlds.
Not to mention that this complaint is already piggybacking on the many voices that don’t agree with Netmarble’s decision to implement blockchain, cryptocurrency trading, and NFTs in the beloved franchise. People have already seen what happens togames that dabble in NFTs, and it’s possibleNi no Kuni: Cross Worldscould be going down the same road.
Ni no Kuni: Cross Worldsis available now on Android, iOS, and PC.
