The key difference is that P2E players can earn NFT rewards in the form of weapons, outfits, and skins that have real-world value. Similarly to gacha games, play-to-earn (P2E) games enable players to purchase in-game currency with fiat money, collect premium items, and level up their characters. Gacha game’s monetization and luck factor has sparked comparisons to other forms of entertainment like NFT play-to-earn games and online gambling. FIFA Ultimate Team is yet another example of gacha that enables players to buy packs consisting of a random set of players, power-ups, and collectibles. Nowadays, however, Western companies such as EA, Activision, and Ubisoft, have also embraced the model.ĬD Projekt Red’s F2P Gwent card game (a spin-off of their Witcher series), for example, uses a gacha mechanic to help players build their card decks. While widely criticized, Zhengtu’s commercial success paved the way for the popularization of Gacha games in Asia, particularly in Japan, in the early 2010s. Three years later Zhengtu, a Chinese MMO, gave players the chance of winning extra privileges through Gacha rolls. This 2D, multiplayer game allowed players to buy Gachapon tickets for 100 yen per unit. In 2004, South Korean Wizet developed MapleStory. While gacha may seem like a new phenomenon in the Western world, these games have been around for nearly two decades now. While most gacha games are free-to-play mobile games, this mechanic incentivizes players to spend money to move forward. Players may land a premium playable character or an item they already had or didn’t want. Gachapon capsules contain random figures, so it’s impossible to predict what you’ll get. The term “gacha” comes from the Japanese word Gachapon - toy capsule vending machines. The origins and rise of gacha gamesĮssentially, gacha games are video games where players use real-world money to acquire random, in-game items. But, what are gacha games exactly? Why are they so popular? And why are they often compared to online gambling? Let’s discuss.

In both Android and iOS, players will find numerous games of this genre from big-name franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and more. From Genshin Impact to NIKKE and Shadow Legends, “gacha games” have taken over the world.

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