Sami Chlagou - Founder of Cross The Ages

Hello Community,

We’ve got some brilliant projects within our portfolio and want to tell you more about the founders and teams behind them. On a regular basis, you will have the opportunity to learn more about specific projects through our interviews. Feel free to post any questions you may have further down in the comments section.

In today’s interview, we have Sami Chlagou - Founder of Cross The Ages. Let’s go!

Hi Sami, how are you? First, please share a bit about yourself and why you entered the crypto space.are well. Could you give us a quick intro about yourself?

I am the CEO and founder of five international game development studios operating since 2015 (France, Japan, Brazil, Hungary, and England). My studios have produced more than fifty video games on different platforms such as Nintendo, Sony, Xbox, Steam, and Android. Some of these games are reaching more than 1 million downloads annually. Prior to this, I was an accomplished film producer in France. 

As I am very passionate about art and trading cards and have been collecting trading cards for over 27 years, I’ve seen tremendous opportunities in how NFTs and cryptocurrency can influence the gaming industry.  It’s a no-brainer for me to join this space. I have dived into the NFT space and have one of the largest collections on Foundation.app.

Powered by the Layer 2 ImmutableX, Cross The Ages is a fantasy fiction trading card game divided into seven series. Each series is based on a novel created by renowned writers from Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Marvel. Please tell us more about this!

Cross the Ages (CTA) is a free-to-play gaming metaverse set in a dystopian world where fantasy and science fiction meet. Cross the Ages is based on seven free-to-read novels, which will be authored and published over the coming years and translated into several languages.

The first book of the Cross the Ages series, The Chrome Spell Book, was written by a team of writers led by accomplished science-fiction novelist Arnaud Dollen. Acting narrative conductor for the series is well-known French sci-fi and fantasy writer Alain Damasio, who has sold more than one million copies of his book Les Furtifs. Additional talent includes Norbert Merjagnan, winner of the Nouveau Grand Prix de la Science-Fiction Française for his book Les Tours de Samarante, and Pablo Servigne, who has co-authored eight best-selling books. 

Cross the Ages employs more than 80 artists internationally to design the captivating visuals of the game. These artists are renowned for their work for iconic franchises, including Joshua Cairos, who worked on Game of Thrones and Star Wars, Josu Salano who worked on Lord of the Rings, Andreas Rochas who worked on Harry Potter, and Sandra Duchiewitcz of Marvel Entertainment.

The player’s goal is to control the maximum space of the battle arena using 20 digital cards, out of which 10 cards are randomly selected to form the deck. Can you tell us more about the game’s duels?

Cross The Ages: TCG - A trading card game where players compete to capture more space than their opponent on the game board. They strategically use battle cards and field cards to dominate their opponent and ultimately win the game. The game is designed in a “blitz” format. Each player only has five minutes to play their turn. The maximum duration for an entire game is, therefore only ten minutes, making Cross The Ages an addictive experience that leaves your brain wanting more. Players have to both  “Play Fast” and “Play Smart” in order to win. 

The arena from the Cross The Ages universe, Appologium, is based on 7 fantasy and sci-fi novels. It is here where players are immersed in an intense one vs one battle. They collect cards from a collection of +350 characters through chest rewards, daily quests, special events like e-sports competitions, or token holding. These cards can be upgraded and merged into more powerful versions: alternative and alternative combo cards.

They can reach for the Immutable X marketplace to trade their assets freely: buy and sell cards or even borrow and lend them to other players. By completing the entire collection of CTA, they will also be able to bring their digital cards to physical use by turning their NFT into NFC: Non-Fungible Cards.

Cross The Ages’ economy leverages three tokens: Crystals, Gold, and the CTA Token. Why did you decide to implement a tri-token setup, and what’s the relationship between the tokens?

Token: There will be three currencies related to the CTA TCG: Trisel, Prana and CTA. Previously, the name we used for Trisel was Gold and Crystal for Prana. We have officially changed these names for a more immersive experience into the lore of Cross The Ages.

The utility of these currencies is as follows:

- Trisel is used for any in-game transformation between assets, such as crafting, as well as free cosmetics (sounds, emotes, card back…)

- Prana is mainly used to acquire off-chain assets such as Chests or paid cosmetics.

- CTA Token is used for any on-chain activity such as minting, trading, participating in E-tournaments, transforming NFT cards to NFC (physical cards), and etc.

- NFT information and utilities: Cross the Ages is revolutionising the gaming landscape with an innovative NFT collectible card game (CCG) that welcomes veteran players and novices alike. One of the main features users can benefit from is having full ownership of their NFT playing cards that can be purchased, sold, traded, and even converted into physical versions of each digital asset. It’s an ecosystem that caters to players who love an immersive metaverse experience and also to those who prefer the more traditional method of tabletop games with friends. This seamless integration of digital and physical collectible card gaming makes CTA a very promising player in a market in need of a true disruptor.

You guys successfully launched your game, which is now available in the Apple Store and Google Play. What is the strategy to attract more users, especially outside the web3 space?

Indeed, we are excited about the successful launch of Cross The Ages on the Apple Store and Google Play. As you mentioned, we want to attract more users, especially those who are not familiar with the web3 space. To achieve this goal, we have developed a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes several key components.

Firstly, we are actively engaging with influencers, bloggers, and content creators who have a large following in the gaming community. We believe that their endorsement of our game will help us reach a wider audience.

Secondly, we are using social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to promote the game and interact with potential users. We have also created a subreddit for Cross The Ages, where users can discuss the game, ask questions, and share tips and tricks.

Thirdly, we are actively participating in gaming events and conferences to showcase our game and engage with potential users. This will give us an opportunity to receive feedback from users and make necessary changes to improve the game.

Lastly, we are working on developing partnerships with other game developers to cross-promote our game and reach a wider audience. We believe that these partnerships will help us expand our user base and create a sustainable ecosystem for the game.

Overall, our strategy to attract more users outside the web3 space is a multi-pronged approach that leverages various marketing channels and partnerships. We are confident that these efforts will help us achieve our goal of making Cross The Ages a popular and engaging game for everyone.

Your team is currently developing a free-to-play dystopian metaverse. What can we expect from the launch, and when are you planning the release?

Our plans include the development of multiple games apart from the trading card game. However, we have chosen not to label our virtual universe as a metaverse. Instead, we have given it a unique name, "The Reverse". The concept behind The Reverse is to provide players with the ability to generate value within the game and then physically transfer it to the real world. While I am unable to disclose further information at this time, I can confirm that the project is scheduled for release in early 2024.

Many companies have backed Cross The Ages. Among them are game publisher Ubisoft, production enterprise Square Enix together with well-known crypto firms Animoca Brands, The Sandbox, Polygon, Mechanism Capital, ourselves at Morningstar Ventures, and many others. How are you allocating your raised capital and the strategic resources that came along?

We are grateful to have received support from such reputable companies and investors, and we are committed to using the raised capital and strategic resources to build a successful and sustainable game.

Currently, we are allocating the raised capital towards the development of new features and content for Cross The Ages. We want to provide our users with a seamless and engaging gaming experience that keeps them coming back for more. In addition, we are investing in marketing and user acquisition efforts to expand our user base and attract new players to the game.

Furthermore, the strategic resources that have come along with our partnerships are invaluable to us. We are collaborating with our partners to access their expertise and resources and to develop new opportunities for Cross The Ages.

Overall, our goal is to use the raised capital and strategic resources to create a vibrant and sustainable ecosystem for Cross The Ages. We are excited about the future of the game and are committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience for our users.

Please share your most important achievement and most extensive challenge at Cross The Ages until now.

Thank you for asking that question. We have faced many challenges and achieved several milestones throughout our journey with Cross The Ages.

One of our most significant achievements to date is the successful launch of the game on the Apple Store and Google Play. This was a significant milestone for us, as it marked the culmination of months of hard work and dedication by our team. We are proud of the fact that we were able to deliver a high-quality game that has received positive reviews and feedback from our users.

One of the most extensive challenges we faced was the development of the game's blockchain infrastructure. We knew from the outset that we wanted Cross The Ages to be a blockchain-based game, as we believed that this would provide a unique and engaging gaming experience for our users. However, building the necessary infrastructure was a complex and challenging process that required significant resources and expertise. But we are grateful for having the opportunity with the best chain possible in the current market to solve these challenges. 

Another significant challenge was balancing the game's complexity with accessibility. Cross The Ages is a strategic board game that can be challenging for new players to learn and navigate. Therefore, we had to strike a balance between providing a deep and engaging gaming experience while ensuring that the game was accessible to all players, regardless of their level of experience.

Overall, our most significant achievement has been the successful launch of the game, while our most extensive challenge has been developing the game's blockchain infrastructure and balancing its complexity with accessibility. We are proud of what we have accomplished so far and are excited about the future of Cross The Ages.

Anything you would like to add?

 I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share more about Cross The Ages and our journey so far. We are committed to creating a game that delivers a unique and engaging gaming experience for all players, and we are excited about the future of the game.

We believe that Cross The Ages has the potential to become a game-changer in the blockchain gaming space, and we are committed to working hard to achieve this goal. We welcome feedback from our users and are always looking for ways to improve and enhance the game.

Once again, thank you for your interest in Cross The Ages, and we look forward to sharing more about our progress in the future.

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Thanks a lot for your time Sami. Good luck with your projects!
You can check the social media profiles of the project: Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Instagram

The Morningstar Ventures Team