Animoca also prepares to apply for a Hong Kong stablecoin license via joint venture with Standard Chartered Bank and Hong Kong Telecom.
Animoca Brands, the Hong Kong-based Web3 digital property rights company, has partnered with Cross the Ages, a fantasy-meets-sci-fi transmedia ecosystem built on blockchain technology. The partnership, disclosed on Friday, builds up to the launch of Arise, a multiplayer action role-playing game (RPG), developed within the Cross the Ages universe.
Under the agreement, Animoca Brands will provide support for the official launch of the blockchain game, which has reportedly been in development for over two years. The Web 3 game is scheduled for release on Windows PC in the fourth quarter of 2025, with versions for macOS and other platforms to follow.
According to a press release from the company, Arise is built on Unreal Engine 5 as a flagship AAA title within the Web3 gaming industry. It is slated to have immersive environments, detailed character design, and economic interactions.
In the game, players have a choice among multiple roles, including farmer, crafter, dungeon crawler, and fighter. They can take part in PvE and PvP activities, gather resources, and join a player-driven in-game economy.
The game also introduces base-building mechanics, allowing users to manage energy, upgrade generators, and harvest resources from their land.
Four characters from Arise have been introduced so far: Malik, who possesses magical powers; Ellie, a skilled sorcerer; Takeshi, a trained fighter; and Samia, an Arcane Scholar. These characters are expected to be part of the game’s whole story and gameplay anchors.
Alongside supporting the new title, Animoca Brands has begun acquiring additional CTA tokens on the open market. The CTA token is the utility and governance token that powers Cross the Ages’ games, NFTs, and storytelling assets.
It will be used in interactions across the platform’s virtual and real-world assets, within Arise and other experiences within the Cross the Ages ecosystem.
Animoca will also assist in improving the go-to-market strategy of Blast, the updated version of Cross the Ages’ original trading card game. The updates will include guidance on tokenomics, marketing, and providing liquidity for the CTA token.
Executives: Arise shows crypto games’ AAA potential
In the release announcing the partnership, Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, praised the collaboration and reiterated the company’s belief in the potential of Cross the Ages’ blockchain game development.
“The team at Cross the Ages has been consistently and strongly committed to high-quality Web3 game development,” said Siu. “We believe that the market has significantly undervalued the potential of Cross the Ages. Arise’s development on Unreal Engine 5 truly showcases crypto gaming’s AAA potential.”
Sami Chlagou, CEO and co-founder of Cross the Ages, mentioned Yat and his company had been supporting Cross the Ages since 2021. He also talked about their first CTA token launch and a recent equity funding round in 2024.
“We’re proud to have the continued support of a Web3 gaming pioneer, and we’re convinced this partnership marks the next chapter in an incredible journey,” said Chlagou.
In the meantime, Animoca Brands revealed it has entered into a joint venture with Standard Chartered Bank and Hong Kong Telecom, in preparation of a stablecoin issuer license application in Hong Kong.
Evan Auyang, Group President of Animoca Brands, disclosed the initiative in an exclusive chat with China Business Network. He explained that the joint venture could create a licensed entity capable of issuing a stablecoin pegged to the Hong Kong dollar (HKD).
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