ChronoForge

ChronoForge is a multiplayer action RPG / MMORPG built around an MMO-scale social experiment: collective player decisions determine the fate of the shared world. Players choose from 12 combat classes — including Knight, Hunter, Time Warden, Thief, Monk, Rift Weaver, Druid, Battlesmith, Brigand, Engineer, Reaper and Mech — and battle enemies across time periods, from dinosaurs to space raiders, through raids, randomly generated dungeons and open-world mini-games. Progression feeds into eight community-governed airships called 'trading companies', which act as crafting hubs upgraded by their player shareholders.

The central mechanic is a 'global prisoner's dilemma': each week players vote on whether to attack rival vessels, ban chrono technology, or activate the ChronoForge smelting facility to produce top-tier gear. Excessive activation can trigger a global reset that wipes progress for everyone. Other design choices include permadeath systems and scarcity rules under which rare gear becomes harder to obtain as more of it exists, preserving relative scarcity as the player base grows.

Blockchain elements are optional. Characters, land, mounts, pets and loot can be minted as NFTs on Immutable X, described by the company as a carbon-neutral layer, but the full game can be played for free or with a USD account using purely server-based assets. The $CHRONO token supports on-chain minting of in-game items and rewards holders of key NFTs, while Forge Stamps serve as the premium in-game currency for classes, cosmetics, bag space, character slots and traits.

Founding story

The studio was founded by an experienced AI engineer who had been developing an AI character scaling technology, Mind ToMe AI, for over a year prior to the 2024 funding round. The team has described being motivated by frustration that value accumulated in traditional multiplayer RPGs could not be traded between players.

Business model

Free-to-play game monetised through a paid Founder's Edition bundle ($29.90), premium in-game currency (Forge Stamps) sold through an in-game shop, premium combat classes, cosmetics, and blockchain collectibles including Adventurer NFT characters, totems, support airships, prospecting deeds and pets. A 50% revenue-share partner program pays referrers half the revenue from purchases they drive, with referred buyers receiving a 10% discount; payments are processed by Xsolla.

Direct game and content sales (Founder's Edition pre-orders, Forge Stamps, premium classes and cosmetics), plus NFT collectible sales and a token ecosystem denominated in $CHRONO.

Traction

A team of more than 40 game developers with credits on Diablo II & III, Monster Hunter World, Battlefield 2042, Gears of War, Armored Core VI and Street Fighter. The genesis Adventurer NFT collection sold out in January 2022, and NFT values were reported to have risen by more than an order of magnitude after the October 2023 public playtest despite no marketing spend. The project reports a community of roughly 400,000 across Twitter and Discord.

Latest developments

Pre-orders opened for the $29.90 Founder's Edition, bundling a Mecha Chad cosmetic outfit, an Ethereal Umu mount, five premium classes (Reaper and Battlesmith unlocked immediately), 20,000 Forge Stamps and access to $CHRONO Season 1 leaderboards with non-NFT characters. A 50% revenue-share partner program launched alongside. Early access is scheduled for September 10 on the Epic Games Store, with Steam and Nintendo Switch 2 releases planned, and a $CHRONO token generation event set for Q3 2025 including a 5% supply airdrop to Adventurer NFT holders.