At GDC this week, Nexon announced MapleStory Universe will support player-created NFTs via a partnership with the Polygon blockchain protocol.
Extending the MapleStory IP in this direction is something that Nexon and many other developers in South Korea have been working on for some time. This process will start with MapleStory N, which is a new MapleStory game coming with its own characters and content. Many of the blockchain offerings from companies like this are happening in new properties and also in spinoffs, which is one way to at least get a look from fans of your current franchises.
Starting with MapleStory N, all of the items in the game will be NFTs, meaning that there’s player ownership from the very start. You’ll be able to do traditional things like playing and completing quests, with some NFT rewards in each region to acquire.
With blockchain games not always getting serious attention from the Western audience, Nexon, according to VentureBeat, “intends its already beloved franchise to deliver fun that most other blockchain games have not yet done so”. This remains to be seen, but one of the common criticisms does usually stem from a perception that the games that include NFTs are a shell made around NFTs.
Will MapleStory N change this? Nexon hopes the strength of its IP might get that through. There’s no underestimating the MapleStory fanbase after two decades and a large and consistent global community.
MapleStory Universe group leader Sun-young Hwang said, in a press release, that “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”.
Polygon Labs is their partner in this venture, and has worked with publishers like Square Enix and Neowiz. Both companies will contribute to development and marketing, with the hope that this could mean a breakthrough in growing and keeping an audience in a web3 game like this.
