Project N — A AAA MMORPG Backed By Pearl Abyss, Kakao Ventures AND NEXUS Is Coming To CROSS Protocol In 2026
By BCGamer —
Tags: cross, project n
Teaser Trailer: Watch on YouTube
File this one under "things you need to know about before everyone else does."
Polestar Games is a Korean studio founded by Dongkyou Lee — a 25-year industry veteran who started his career at Nexon working on Kingdom of the Winds (the Guinness World Record-holding MMORPG created by Jake Song). His team is stacked with devs who built Dekaron, Lost Kingdom, Super String, and Hellgate: London. These aren't indie guys figuring it out. These are people who've shipped globally and operated live MMOs at scale.
Their project — codenamed "Project N" — is a AAA open-world MMORPG set in a medieval dark fantasy world with a 60-kilometer map. PC and console. Not mobile-first. Not a browser game. A proper, full-scale MMORPG built on their own proprietary engine — the Aurora Engine — designed from scratch specifically for massive online environments. They didn't use Unreal. They didn't use Unity. They built their own tech stack because the existing tools weren't good enough for what they're trying to do.
Who's Backing This?
This is where it gets interesting:
Kakao Ventures — the investment arm of the Kakao Group (Kakao Games publishes some of the biggest titles in Korea)
Pearl Abyss — the studio behind Black Desert Online, one of the most successful action MMORPGs ever made. When Pearl Abyss puts money into another MMORPG studio, you pay attention.
NEXUS — Henry Chang's company. Direct strategic investment plus a signed MOU for blockchain integration. Project N will launch a blockchain version through CROSS Protocol.
That's three heavyweights from different corners of the gaming and blockchain space all betting on one studio. Pearl Abyss doesn't throw money at people who can't ship. Kakao Ventures doesn't back teams without a track record. And Henry Chang doesn't sign MOUs with studios that aren't going to deliver.
Why This Matters For CROSS
CROSS Protocol is already running R.O.H.A.N.2 Global, ROM: Golden Age, Ragnarok: Monster World, and has Tree of Savior M Global incoming. But Project N represents something different — this isn't a legacy IP getting a blockchain integration. This is a ground-up AAA MMORPG being built with CROSS in mind from the start.
That's a fundamentally different proposition. The blockchain isn't bolted on after the fact. It's baked into the architecture from day one. If Polestar delivers on even half of what they're promising, this could be the title that shows what a purpose-built blockchain MMORPG actually looks like at AAA quality.
What We Don't Know Yet
Let's keep it real — details are thin. No official website yet. No gameplay footage beyond a cinematic teaser. No tokenomics. No class breakdowns. No beta dates. It's early.
But the team, the backers, the tech, and the ambition are all there. And Henry Chang calling it "a new benchmark for quality in the blockchain gaming space" isn't something he says lightly — the man built WEMIX and has shipped games to tens of millions of players.
Global 2026 launch is the target. When the details drop, we'll be covering it. For now — remember the name.
This is not financial advice. Always do your own research.