MIR4 Global, an extremely popular Play and Earn (P&E) MMORPG developed by South Korea-based Wemade has recently marked its first anniversary. The blockchain-based game is observing this occasion with various key highlights that display its dominance over the gaming space. Based on the “Legend of Mir” series, MIR4 has successfully embodied Wemade’s vision of creating a blockchain game that possesses the perfect fusion of entertainment and in-game economy.
Looking Back at the Past
Play-and-Earn (P&E) is the latest ballgame of the 21st century in the digital gaming industry. It is based on the open economy concept that gives players a chance to receive financial benefits while also emphasizing the gaming experience. This is in contradiction with the more known concept of Play to Earn (P2E) which puts economic gain at the center of the game, earning it a bad reputation from hardcore players. P&E has revolutionized the gaming sector, offering users the privilege to earn while doing what they love most: playing well-made games.
The company spent the last four years investing heavily in developing their blockchain game platform Wemix. Based on their notorious IP “Legend of Mir”, series the company launched on August 26, 2021, the worldwide edition of MIR4 — incorporating blockchain technology and NFT trading. The game was initially launched in 170 countries and in 12 languages, featuring an in-game chat translation function that allows users to interact with other players in any part of the world. An early indication of the game’s success is how the number of MIR4’s global servers grew more than three times (from 11 to 38) in just a week since its release.
On these global servers, gamers can mine in-game goods called “Darksteel”, which is essential in game-playing and can be traded for a game token named DRACO. From there, players can then trade their DRACO tokens for other in-game tokens or exchange them for WEMIX coin, which is the platform’s utility coin traded on over 25 global exchanges. In addition, MIR4 Global players can mint their game characters into NFTs, tradable on Wemix Wallet’s NFT market.
Talking about their ‘ghosts from the past’, MIR4’s Project Director (PD), Jeong-guk Sung, acknowledged the trials they had to face during the infancy of the game.
“Ironically, our biggest trial and error seems to have been much higher user traffic and success than expected. It was a hit so rapidly that the server exploded, and users flocked to it exponentially, making it difficult to maintain the balance of the ecosystem.”
However, Sung PD took this challenge as a learning experience to create a more improved game for its players.
Celebrating Present Wins
Since its launch, MIR4 has exceeded expectations. In only 12 months, it has recorded the highest number of its concurrent users… a whopping 1.4 million. This is quite an impressive achievement for an MMORPG that takes a longer time to play. Meanwhile, it has also amassed a total of 20 million users, which is not an easy feat. Not to mention, the most expensive NFT game character was sold for 80,000 WEMIX (around $300,000 at the time).
The above statistics just proves that Wemade succeeded in capturing the hearts of gamers and streamers around the globe when it created MIR4 Global. In a two-part YouTube series, the South Korean video game developer documented the response of their global fans on why they love the game in terms of playing and earning. Here are some notable testimonials.
Myrtle Sarrosa, a cosplayer, actress, host, and live-streamer from Southeast Asia described MIR4 as a K-Fantasy MMORPG that is a fusion of both Eastern and Western styles. She loves how intriguing the storyline is and she also likened it to a K-drama.
“The most exciting part really is of course, the Hidden Valley Captures. Everyone in the Clan goes on an intense battle against other Clans to break the Monolith and to decide who will be the Valley holder.” -Myrtle Sarrosa
Also expressing his love for MIR4 is North American lead software engineer Greg who thinks the ideology of Play and Earn is “genius” and is the “evolution of what games should be.”
“People in the past, they were always getting banned [from] trying to sell items or sell their characters. Why not? Someone puts all that [effort] into a game, why can’t they take what they built and sell it? Everyone’s time is valuable, so why not give it that value? And that’s what MIR4 did.” –Greg
Moving Forward to the Future
MIR4 gamers can check out different related contents that expand battles, new equipment, and more to commemorate the game’s first anniversary.
Wemade’s Head of Business Division, Director Jung-Hoon Kim, reveals his objectives for the future:
“I want MIR4 to become a game that everyone can enjoy for a long time, not just for 1 year — but for 2 or 3 years as well. Additionally, it will create synergy with various ‘Mir’ IP games to be released in the future and continue to expand and develop as a game that will become the game series’ foundation.”
Currently, the team is preparing for the global launch of Legend of Mir’s next sequel “MIR M” which already hit the top of the popularity chart on Google Play upon its local launch in June. The game was quoted as “the most anticipated Play and Earn game of the year”.
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