SEGA-licensed NFT card game discontinued as developer cites changing Web3 market

Developer Jokers announced that it has stopped work on Code of Jokers Evolutions, a blockchain-based NFT mobile card game created under an official license from SEGA.

The game was first revealed in March this year as a digital card game based on SEGA’s arcade trading card game series. The original Code of Jokers ran in arcades from 2013 to 2019 and briefly received a mobile version called Code of Jokers Pocket in 2017, which was discontinued the following year.

Code of Jokers Evolutions aimed to bring back the franchise with features from the original game while adding blockchain technology that allowed players to trade cards with each other. The team planned to release it internationally in 2025, with a release in Japan planned for late 2026.

In their announcement, Jokers stated that the decision to cancel came “after consideration of recent changes in the Web3 game market environment.” The company did not provide specific details about what led to the choice. This move follows a broader pattern in the Japanese gaming industry, where interest in NFT games among developers appears to be waning.

Jokers was founded by former SEGA employees Yasuhiro Nishiyama, who produced the original Code of Joker and Sangokushi Taisen, and Wataru Sato, who worked as a producer on Bakugan at SEGA Toys.

The developer has said it will offer buybacks to users who purchased collaborative NFT packs released before the game’s launch. These buybacks will be available through a company portal.