An Incredibly Controversial MMORPG Is Trending On Twitch — But Why?

Streaming on Twitch has been quite the roller coaster as of late. With hate raids leading to the #ADayOffTwitch movement, things have really been up in the air. Now it seems that a controversial MMORPG is suddenly becoming popular on the platform leaving gaming fans scratching their heads and wondering why.

According to stats from Twitch Tracker, MIR4 is currently trending on the website. For those who don’t know, MIR4 is actually a sequel to South Korean Studio WeMade’s previous hit The Legend of Mir 3 which was shut down nearly a decade ago. It’s been steadily climbing in popularity since it was released on Steam on August 25th but the reviews for it have been mostly mixed. Fans have complained it’s almost an idle game and with its auto-pathing and battle features, we can see why.

So what exactly is making MIR4 so popular? It’s likely the cryptocurrency and NFT features within the game.

“Blockchain technology enables the use of utility coins, DRACO, which can be exchanged for Darksteel, an essential resource used in MIR 4, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) that players can experience through game characters, both of which are available in the global version. An in-game chat translation function also allows players from different countries to enjoy the game together without language barriers.”

WeMade Official Press Release

The ability to earn Draco — currently valued at around $2.46 USD — is likely tempting players to get into the game even if they find its mechanics boring. This also is used to drive those playing the game to their social media accounts as players must tie the game to a Facebook, Google, or Apple account to be able to get Draco as well as reach level 40 and collect enough in-game currency to craft it.

This isn’t the only game to include cryptocurrency in a play-to-earn model either, but it’s currently one of the most popular to watch on Twitch. While titles like Axie Infinity, CryptoBlades, and Splinterlands yet to take the streaming spotlight, it will be curious to see if MIR4 can keep up its popularity on the platform.