NEAR Foundation is excited to announce a major new entertainment franchise. Armored Kingdom, a new multi-platform, global entertainment universe, is coming to NEAR to reshape Web3 trading card games, digital comics, animation, and film.
Armored Kingdom’s founders include actress, producer, and Web3 innovator Mila Kunis, superhero creator Sharad Devarajan, Lindsey McInerney, and Lisa Sterbakov. As envisioned by creator Hugh Sterbakov and writer/game designer Brian Turner, Armored Kingdom is an immersive blend of media franchise with science fiction and fantasy worldbuilding. It will also be a place for fans to interact with creators and each other.
The launch of Armored Kingdom includes a limited edition free NFT comic mint, available for only 7 days. It will precede Armored Kingdom’s first official collection—a five-issue series of digital and physical comics.
NEAR’s fast, carbon neutral, and infinitely scalable protocol were major factors in the Armored Kingdom founders’ decision to launch on the platform.
World-building in Armored Kingdom
Armored Kingdom follows several tribes of warring medieval dynasties as they battle for power with the aid of Armorite, a powerful and mysterious metal. No one has been able to mine Armorite except the Ancestors, a long-vanished, highly advanced civilization.
The magical weapons the Ancestors forged are now scattered across the lands of Armoria. As dynasties unearth new artifacts, the balance of power shifts. And as the war rages on, a greater threat lurks in the shadows.
“The mythology of Armored Kingdom chronicled in the digital comics will be further explored in the trading card game, which will be phase two for the franchise,” says McInerney. “Carefully marrying the narrative and gameplay, and using both to further explore the world, will keep the storyline evergreen and ever-developing—and above all else, fun.”
An avid TCG/MMO gamer, Kunis has previously launched a number of projects in the Web3 animation space. But Armored Kingdom is Kunis’ first official foray into comics and gaming.
“I lost a good part of my youth to gaming, from World of WarCraft to Settlers of Catan,” says Kunis. “The moment I dove into Web3, I saw the opportunity to create an immersive universe where blockchain technology deepens the gaming experience and makes it more personal and immersive for every fan. Armored Kingdom will allow gamers to relate to their characters and gear in a revolutionary way, and we can’t wait to share more of that with you very soon.”
“This is a dream project for us. Armored Kingdom has all the elements of a great fantasy meets sci-fi story that will take a global audience into a place of wonder,” says Devarajan, Founder of Graphic India, one of Asia’s leading comics, animation and creative studios. “This new storytelling experience will push Web3 technology further than ever before.”
“[We] turned to NEAR to help us make it a reality,” Devarajan adds. “Their expertise with community management, championing of the creative sector, and its carbon-neutral, user-friendly development platform won us over.”
Shaping the future of Web3 storytelling on NEAR
Alongside Paras Comic, OP Games, and other NEAR gaming platforms, Armored Kingdom is set to help shape the future of Web3 storytelling. Not only on NEAR but also across the wider Open Web world.
“We are excited to support the launch of Armored Kingdom and the storytelling opportunities it will bring to fans,” says Marieke Flament, CEO of the NEAR Foundation.
“NEAR is a perfect blockchain for an entertainment franchise as it can support various platforms, which is crucial for multiverse experiences across different mediums,” she adds. “Our focus on ease of use also allows developers to deliver intuitive experiences for a large fan base.”
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