Sega Game Franchise ‘Code of Joker’ Revived on Sui Network

Parasol, the gaming infrastructure subsidiary of Sui network contributor Mysten Labs, announced Friday that the upcoming trading card game Code of Joker: Evolutions—based on a licensed IP from gaming giant Sega—will launch on Sui.

The digital trading card game, developed by Jokers Inc., represents the revival of a series first launched by Sega in 2013. The original Code of Joker game was built for arcades, but this version will be playable via web browsers and mobile devices.

Code of Joker: Evolutions will bring its digital trading cards onto the Sui blockchain, allowing players to prove ownership, trade, and showcase collections. The game is set to release in late summer 2025.

Sega Exec Says Blockchain Gaming an 'Unknown World' Worth Exploring

Sega Co-COO Shuji Utsumi has shared optimistic thoughts on blockchain gaming and the unique role NFTs could play in the future of video games—months after previously telling Bloomberg that he felt play-to-earn games are “boring.” “Within blockchain games, owning assets and, in some cases, earning money, could become player wants that haven’t existed before,” Utsumi said in an interview first published as a sponsored post with Dengeki Online last month and translated into a blog post this week....

"From our first conversation on what a digital experience of Code of Joker: Evolutions would look like, we knew that we wanted to match the physical feeling of opening a new card pack," said Jokers Inc. co-founder Takashi "Gin" Mizouka, in a statement. "Sui was the only blockchain that could make this vision a reality."

Sega itself is not developing Code of Joker: Evolutions, which mirrors the approach it took to a previous blockchain gaming project. Battle of Three Kingdoms, a game developed by Double Jump Tokyo and similarly based on a dormant Sega IP, was previously launched on the Oasys blockchain.

Gaming giant Sega, the firm behind Sonic the Hedgehog, previously indicated that it would explore the blockchain gaming space by licensing IP—but that it would not bring its biggest franchises to the budding industry during this experimental phase. The firm filed a trademark application for the Code of Jokers: Evolutions name in 2023, fueling speculation among fans.

The Sui gaming ecosystem will also feature another revived IP from a prominent Japanese studio, with the SNK-licensed Samurai Shodown R set to launch on the chain this year. A Sui-branded PC gaming handheld called the SuiPlay0X1 is set to release this year, as well, with pre-order units selling for $599.