[Feature] MapleStory Universe Takes on the Metaverse with Polygon

The evolution of the gaming landscape has seen tremendous innovation and advancement, as well as seismic changes. From the era that birthed controller and handheld gaming to personal computer (PC) gaming, and the immersive virtual world gaming, you can see that the change is monumental. As Web3 came into existence, metaverse gaming was inevitable.

With copious number of games and gaming companies taking the plunge into the metaverse, it is not surprising that one of largest 2D games is also hoping to capitalise on some of that potential ─ MapleStory. Specifically, Nexon, one of the largest game publishers across Asia, announced just last week that is has selected Polygon as the blockchain ecosystem for MapleStory Universe.

In a nutshell, Nexon is bringing this popular pixelated 2D role-playing franchise into the world of Web3 gaming. This move marks an exciting new chapter for the popular multiplayer online game.

To know more about their collaboration with Polygon Labs, you can read their blog post here.

You can also catch the COO of Nexon Korea, Daehyun Kang, who is currently in charge of Nexon's blockchain project, in this interview video.

Launched in 2003, MapleStory is one of Nexon's long-running success stories. The company announced earlier this year that the game has generated over $4 billion in revenue as well as amassed over 180 million registered users to date. The game's Steam page displays an even larger tally of more than 260 million players in total.

20 years in, MapleStory Universe, will be built on Polygon Supernets, a blockchain development platform aimed at helping Web3 developers create their own blockchain protocols. Polygon Labs is set to provide technical and business support for the MapleStory Universe.

It was stated that, "While there are many benefits of blockchain technology, Nexon has focused on three in particular: (1) Transparency, with all information recorded on-chain for anyone to see. (2) AN open ecosystem, where anyone can contribute to the project and earn rewards for their contributions. (3) Extended utility, through the free movement of in-game assets.”

MapleStory Universe group leader Sun-young Hwang mentioned in a press release, "We are looking forward to expanding the NFT ecosystem envisioned by MapleStory Universe by building on Polygon, the top protocol for Web3 gaming. It is the perfect choice to power the ecosystem.”

Nexon selected Polygon due to its high performance and low transaction fees,a s well as its focus on scaling solutions for Ethereum. This is significant, as scaling has been a major challenge for the blockchain industry, and Polygon’s solutions offer a promising path forward. The collaboration comes shortly after the company released a post explaining the reasons for adopting blockchain technology, and named MapleStory as the best candidate to introduce the new features.

MapleStory Universe posted on Twitter a pretty extensive but succinct thread on the highlights of last week’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), with regards to the game.

Poised to be an NFT-centric game, tokenised assets will play a major role in MapleStory Universe and can be traded or transferred via the game's marketplace. "We plan on issuing our unique coin, and specific details about this will be revealed later with our tokenomics," Nexon expressed.

Building with the idea of Reward Experience (RX), this means that NFT game items will have utility value outside the game, and there will be increased demand for rare items. Currently, players use the in-game currency to buy, sell, and trade items with one another. But with the new NFT-based ecosystem, NFTs can be earned through gameplay such as hunting monsters, completing quests, and so on.

In addition, in a blog post in DappRadar, it pointed out that MapleStory Universe will be coming to both PC and mobile, "MapleStory Universe is an overarching concept that feeds two games: MapleStory N and MapleStory N Mobile. As the name suggest, the latter is a game for tablets and smartphones, while the former is a PC game. NFTs earned in the PC game can be used in the mobile game as well.”

The latest update from Nexon was when they spoke about the game at GDC last week; no release date was given yet. However, more details will be revealed during the year. It is safe to expect at least an alpha version somewhere in the coming year though this has not been confirmed by Nexon.

On a conclusive note, the journey towards MapleStory Universe has been a long and exciting one for Nexon. In the recent years, the company has been exploring the potential of blockchain and other emerging technologies, with a focus on creating immersive and engaging experiences for players.

In addition to traditional gameplay mechanics, the metaverse will feature social and economic systems, allowing players to buy, sell, and trade virtual assets and goods. This is a major step towards a fully realised metaverse, and is sure to be a major draw for fans of the franchise.