Korean gaming companies started to get into Blockchain gaming back in 2019 and it looks like that will continue in 2024 and beyond. Blockchain technology in Korea has been growing ever since the Korean government started supporting the new technology. Korea’s online game developers will look to release games on Blockchain platforms and incorporate NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Will Blockchain games be a gateway to Blockchain adoption for the mass market? This seems the most logical as it is the best way to teach people about Blockchain by giving them a hands-on experience of the benefits of Blockchain and NFTs in real time.

South Korea is already the world’s 5th largest gaming market with close to 30 million active gamers. Korea’s gaming market alone is worth close to $6 billion.

For this article, we will not include casino/betting games. This is not the future of Blockchain gaming in Korea. There is already a lot of debate over blockchain games in general leading to speculation. Therefore, for the Blockchain gaming industry to grow in Korea, we need to have games that accommodate casual gamers in Korea.

Korean Blockchain Games in Trouble?

Korean gaming companies are very interested in the “Play-to-Earn” games that incorporate NFTs. However, the Korean government has concerns regarding these types of games. Therefore, for now, not a single Korean Blockchain Game has gotten a rating from the GRAC (Game Rating and Administration Committee). This South Korean administration is in charge of policing Korea’s gaming industry. Therefore if a game does not get a rating from GRAC, it can’t be distributed in South Korea. However, GRAC has no power to stop gamers in Korea to play Blockchain games released by overseas developers.

Many Blockchain game developers are looking into in-game items represented in the real world by non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The aim is to have these items traded and converted into cash or cryptocurrencies on NFT trading platforms. Many top-selling games in South Korea are already allowing gamers to liquidate in-game items using out-of-game exchanges. Therefore, there might be room for Blockchain games in the future as long as gaming companies follow strict regulations and standards set by the committee.

Here are Korean Blockchain Games to Watch For

Nine Chronicles

Nine Chronicles is an online role-playing game without a server, where all its gaming operations run on a blockchain network powered by its players. It is open-sourced and fully moddable. Therefore Korean Blockchain games can create new worlds and features that will be shared with all players. Currently, Nine Chronicles has 9 worlds to explore. In addition, it is supported by a complex economy where supply and demand are the greatest currency. Players will collect unique treasures and battle enemies. Furthermore, they will be able to create special items and trade with other players. Therefore, this open-source model along with an open economy will create new possibilities for players.

“Since 2018, our team has been dedicated to giving the ownership of online gaming back to the community,” said the Co-CEO of Planetarium Kijun Seo.

Investment from Binance Labs

Nine Chronicles got an investment from Binance Labs, the venture capital arm of Binance. With the investment, core features such as mobile client, guild DAO support, dual token economy, and cooperative gameplay will be added in 2022. In addition, the game will build an asset bridge to the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and provide exclusive in-game NFT skins to the Binance NFT marketplace. Since October of 2020, over 2 million NFTs have been minted and 10 million $NCG Tokens have been distributed to its players.

Planetarium Signs Partnership with Ubisoft

Planetarium signed Ubisoft to an advisory partnership. Ubisoft has a lot of experience with Blockchain gaming as they have already supported many startups through their Entrepreneurs Lab accelerator program. Ubisoft has also partnered with the EOS-based gaming platform Ultra to validate blocks on its Blockchain. In addition, they developed a prototype for a Minecraft-like Blockchain game called HashCraft and released their own Blockchain game similar to CryptoKitties called Rabbids Token.

Developed by Planetarium 

Infinity Star

This Korean Blockchain game is an RPG on the Ethereum Blockchain. Gamers will be able to earn items and characters in various stages. In addition, they can get weapons, armors, accessories, and in-game characters even if they are a non-paying user. Furthermore, gamers can earn rewards even without logging into the game. Female superhumans battle futuristic monsters. In addition, Items, armors, and weapons are distributed as non-fungible tokens (ERC 721). Therefore players will have absolute item ownership since it will be recorded on the Blockchain. Players will be able to buy, sell, and trade their items just like they would digital assets. For Koreans to access their site, they will need to use a VPN since the site is not applicable to the residents in Korea.

Developed by NodeBrick

Five Stars

Five Stars is a Blockchain strategic RPG that offers an in-game crypto wallet. Players can trade their items through the in-game market for MNR (Mineral) tokens. In addition, the Blockchain game offers in-game DEX integration and NFT item market support. SkyPeople has already established a partnership with Klaytn. Therefore asset trading is possible between Klaytn partners.

Developed by SkyPeople

Crypto Legends

This Korean Blockchain game lets mobile gamers battle against each other using playing cards. There are 8 classes that have various units and spell cards. Furthermore, 2-D cards are in full 3-D during the battle to give more color and realistic graphics. In their first 30 days, Crypto Legends got over 7,000 users. In addition, it was the first time a Korean Blockchain game was ranked No.1 on the DAPP ranking site.

“I’m very happy to become the 1st Korean Blockchain game to achieve a meaningful number one in the global Blockchain game market. In the future, I’ll make more complete games,” said the CEO of Weneepl, Mr. Hyun.

Knight Story

Bird Tornado

• Gold (the main currency) used to upgrade projectiles
• Buy characters and get upgrades using Ruby
• Golden Key offers players a chance to win Gold and Tornado tokens through a lucky wheel spin
• “Tornado” used to purchase special packages or character summon

Aquarium