Exclusive Interview with Meta World: My City

Netmarble is one of the top 10 game publishers with popular hit titles including Lineage2 Revolution, Everybody’s Marble, Seven Knights, and MARVEL Future Fight.          

In 2022, Netmarble with over 30-year experience in the gaming sector launched Marblex (MBX), its web3 gaming ecosystem. Built on Klaytn network, MBX will link games to blockchain technology and expand their content into NFTs and metaverse. Games on the MBX ecosystem include A3:Still Alive, Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds and more.           

We are delighted to speak exclusively with Min-Kwan Kwon, CEO of Netmarble N2 and Young-Suk Hong, Head of Development, about the recent launch of Meta World: My City, a metaverse board game featuring virtual buildings and settings on real world locations such as Paris and New York City.

Q1) Can you please give a quick overview of Meta World: My City in your words? 

Min-Kwan Kwon - Meta World: My City is a sequel to Everybody's Marble, which has attracted more than 200 million players worldwide. Players can acquire real estate in the Meta World universe, which is based on real-world cities, and enjoy a board game with various strategies. 

Q2) Can you tell us the process on how you decide on what buildings, parks, museums, and other landmarks to bring over into the virtual realm? 

Young-Suk Hong - We wanted to bring cities and landmarks to Meta World that people around the world are familiar with or would like to visit. As we were brainstorming ideas, the Statue of Liberty naturally came to mind, and we realized that New York City is a place that people around the world are familiar with and want to visit. As a result, we decided to make Manhattan the first city in Meta World. We're also considering cities like Paris, London, Bangkok, Taipei, Seoul, and Tokyo, and we will open their most famous landmarks soon   

Q3) It appears that Meta World: My City is composed of two elements: the board game and a virtual city in the metaverse that players build up. How does one aspect of the game impact the other? How large can the virtual cities get?

Young-Suk Hong - Players will be able to earn "crystals" through the board game, which can then be used to acquire real estate in the Meta World. Players who own real estate in the Meta World will also be rewarded daily with crystals or metacash, which can be used to build stronger decks in the board game or to acquire more real estate. It's hard to say exactly how big Meta World will be, but we can tell you that we're planning to add world-famous cities like Paris, London, Bangkok, Taipei, Seoul, and Tokyo.     

Q4) Players use a deck of four character cards in the board game and discovering different strategies based on their skills is a must. How many different characters are there? Can you tell us some of the different skills they can bring to bear in the game?

Min-Kwan Kwon - There are currently 30 character cards in the game, each with a different skill, and more will be released over time. To name a few, Sophie card allows you to instantly move to any block you want, giving you a huge strategic advantage, and Beatrice card allows you to preview the dice cards and choose the ones you want.

Q5) Players buy buildings, which can then be monetized. Can you describe to us the different ways a player can monetize their holdings? What happens if all the buildings in a city are sold?       

Min-Kwan Kwon - When players purchase land and construct buildings, they can earn crystals or metacash as rewards every day. The metacash can be exchanged for ITU and can be cashed out. In addition, users can mint their high-ranked buildings as NFTs and sell them on the NFT marketplace for cash.

As for your question regarding what happens when all the land in a city is sold. We want to make sure that more players can have their own land and buildings in Meta World by opening new cities that players want, and we're looking at a number of ways to make sure that players benefit from their land and buildings.       

Q6) How much are they worth and can they be resold?

Young-Suk Hong - The value of real estate in the Meta World is based on the interaction between users, so it is difficult to specify how much it would be worth. It is certain that real estate acquired by users can be resold.        

Q7) How deep is the customization for player's avatars? Can players customize the appearance/interiors of the buildings they own?        

Young-Suk Hong - There are various character customization elements such as skin color, body type, face shape, hair, etc. There are about 350 different items such as tops, bottoms, shoes, hats, and accessories to customize your avatar. As for the appearance of buildings, players can also customize them to their own taste.

Q8) Social interaction between players appears to be an integral part of Meta World: My City. What in-game dynamics are you focusing on to foster interaction? Will there be special events, such as festivals or concerts, held in the metaverse?

Min-Kwan Kwon - We recognize the importance of social interaction between players in the game. As such, we're working on implementing a square in Meta World where players can congregate and interact with each other, as well as a number of events that can take place within it.          

Q9) In the board game portion of Meta World: My City, are you taking steps to protect new players from being steamrolled by experienced players with far more resources?

Min-Kwan Kwon - We're closely analyzing the board game to make sure that players with more resources have an advantage, but entry-level players who don't have as much have a chance to make a comeback. We'll continue to develop the game for the better.

Q10) Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers about Meta World: My City?

Young-Suk Hong - Since our launch on 19 April 2023, we've received valuable feedback from players about how we can improve the game. We will proceed with a number of improvements in Meta World's real estate ecosystem for a better game experience.

Min-Kwan Kwon - We have a number of improvements planned for existing users who enjoy board games and own real estate. Stay tuned for more in Meta World: My City.         

Funjible Games would like to thank Netmarble N2 CEO, Min-Kwan Kwon and Head of Development, Young-Suk Hong for answering our burning questions about Meta World:My City. Do read our detailed game review and leave your own user review.