A number of play-to-earn (P2E) games are active in South Korea despite legal ban, while game developers challenge authority at courts to legalize the rising model in global game scene in Korea.

Blockchain-based game Thetan Arena has been gaining popularity in the country as it allows players to make money while playing. Users earn in-game tokens called gTHC when they win games after buying characters. They can also convert the digital currencies into cash through their Metamask wallet.

The Game Rating and Administration Committee is examining illegality of the game. If it is found unlawful, it would face suspension.

P2E games cannot be released in the country as the committee refuses to give ratings on concerns that such games may promote speculative acts. But some companies have released the money-making games after rating them on their own, as the committee allows self-ratings for some games except for R-rated and arcade ones due to the difficulty to examine tens of thousands of titles on its own.

The industry said more than dozens of P2E games are available on app markets in the country. Some players access P2E games via a virtual private network, which makes it hard for regulator to crack down on them. Some are also playing WeMade’s P2E game Mir 4 Global or Vietnam’s Axie Infinity which are not available in Korea by using foreign network.

Blockchain games will be a hot potato in the gaming industry next year. Local game developer Natris said it would file an administrative suit against the committee which has warned to revoke the rating of its P2E game Infinite Breakthrough Three Kingdoms. The country’s biggest law firm Kim & Chang is its legal advisor. Skypeople has also been in a legal fight since its non-fungible token (NFT) game Five Stars for Klaytn was kicked out of the market in April.

By Jin Young-tae, Hwang Soon-min, Kim Dae-eun and Choi Mira

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]