‘Ragnarok: Landverse’ Expanding to Ethereum Gaming Network Ronin

Ragnarok Landverse, a blockchain-enhanced massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in the classic Ragnarok Online franchise, will launch on Ethereum sidechain gaming network Ronin in early 2025.

The Ronin version, dubbed Ragnarok Landverse: Genesis, is set to deploy to Ronin after previously soft-launching on BNB Chain. Developer Maxion, in partnership with Ragnarok publisher Gravity, said that the game has already amassed some $15 million worth of NFT sales ahead of the Ronin expansion, with over 400,000 players to date.

Ragnarok Landverse is a free-to-play PC and Android game that features similar gameplay to the original Ragnarok Online, an influential and popular MMORPG launched in 2002. However, this version incorporates blockchain elements such as mineable resources and token rewards.

The Genesis version launching on Ronin is considered a “fresh start” for the game, which means that assets from other Landverse servers won't be transferable initially. However, these servers are planned to migrate to Ronin at a later date.

Zentry, Maxion's parent company, will also maintain a validator node on the Ronin network as part of this expansion. The company describes itself as building a "metagame ecosystem" of interconnected Web3 games. Zentry rebranded from its previous name of GuildFi back in April.

Landverse will be the second Ragnarok game to launch on Ronin, following the debut of Ragnarok: Monster World. That mobile game took inspiration from Supercell’s popular Clash Royale, with two players commanding teams of creatures and dropping them into battle to try and be the first to topple the opponent’s base.

Ronin is a prominent gaming network in the Ethereum ecosystem. It’s the home to major crypto games like Pixels and Axie Infinity, the latter game developed by Sky Mavis, the studio that created the network. Since launching with Axie Infinity, the network has gradually expanded to include even more games from external developers.

Pre-registration is now open for Ragnarok Landverse: Genesis, with players able to connect their Ronin digital wallets for potential rewards ahead of the launch.

Another blockchain game in the Ragnarok universe was announced in November by DeLabs Games, with plans to launch it via the Telegram messaging app in Q1 2025.