Interview: Yini, PANews

Author: Zen, PANews

On August 27, MapleStory Universe, an NFT game project under the Korean game giant Nexon, announced the launch of NXPC tokens, which aims to enhance the user's in-game experience by allowing community contributors to participate in the creation of in-game items and support the entire MapleStory Universe ecosystem. This is another major update and good news for MapleStory Universe after the first game of the ecosystem, MapleStory N, successfully completed the pioneer test earlier this month.

As one of the most classic 2D horizontal scrolling games in the childhood of post-90s gamers, the MapleStory IP has been around for more than 20 years. In order to maintain the vitality of this IP that has attracted countless players, Nexon has made many attempts to create a sequel to the MapleStory game, including MapleStory 2, which has been redesigned into a sandbox game, and the mobile game MapleStory: Maple Legend. However, even with the added sentiment, the reputation and popularity of these sequels among the player base are still not as good as the original classic game. In recent years, Nexon has turned to new technology fields to find answers. The gaming giant is exploring blockchain and NFT technologies, and is trying to use these innovative technologies to create MapleStory Universe to bring a new upgraded experience to gamers.

Related reading: Detailed analysis of the new game MapleStory Universe by Korean gaming giant Nexon.

MapleStory Universe will not only launch a blockchain version of the sequel "MapleStory N", but will also provide players with a new adventure platform to encourage more developers to build diverse games and applications based on the "MapleStory" IP, thereby creating an infinitely scalable ecosystem and allowing "MapleStory" to continue to be revitalized in the new era. Recently, PANews conducted an exclusive interview with Anglela Son, the business director of Maple Universe, to talk about how the childhood classic IP MapleStory can be revitalized with the support of blockchain technology. The following is the content of the conversation.

PANews: Why did Nexon decide to enter the Web 3 field? Why did you choose a top IP like MapleStory to develop website games?

A: MapleStory has been around for 21 years and has achieved great success, especially in terms of its combination of gameplay and in-game economic system. As an MMORPG, the in-game economic system has always been one of the core motivations for players to continue playing, building a community connection and economic ecosystem between players.

Combined with the glorious history of MapleStory in the past, we need to think about how to expand this experience in the next 20 years to ensure that it can be more sustainable and attract a larger and wider audience. Our answer is blockchain, because MapleStory is originally an IP closely related to the economy, and the game is centered on props, which makes it very suitable for conversion into NFTs, and also very suitable for using blockchain technology to truly connect the various components of the IP, such as NFTs or characters, and make them interoperable and scalable in other experiences outside of the game. Therefore, we believe that the core of this game is very consistent with the essence of blockchain.

In addition, as the game develops, we realize that the community is a vital part of it. The community is at the heart of gaming culture and is the force that drives and sustains the game. We really want to recognize their contributions to the community through playing, creating MapleStory content, and even proposing game improvements, and hope to give back to them in the form of blockchain. Ultimately, we believe that blockchain is the perfect medium to achieve this goal.

PANews: Last year you announced on Twitter that you had received $100 million in investment, which is far more than most Web 3 game projects. Can we know the current valuation of MapleStory and how the team plans to use the funds?

Anglela: What I can reveal about the specifics of this investment is that it came from our parent company (Nexon) and it was an equity capital investment, so it was not based on valuation. However, I can talk about the overall situation of the MapleStory series. In the 21 years that we have served MapleStory, the total revenue of this series has exceeded 5 billion US dollars. I want to emphasize how amazing this number is. This revenue is actually higher than the box office revenue of the movie "Frozen", which shows how big the scale of the MapleStory IP is.

Getting a $100 million investment from the parent company and the right to use this IP, I think it means the company's confidence in this technology and that it is willing to invest in this project. For us, these funds will be used primarily for the development of MapleStory Universe, but also to expand the ecosystem of this universe. We hope to use these funds to help the community and developers enter the ecosystem and further develop this project based on what we have already started. Ultimately, I think with the support of the parent company and the MapleStory IP, as well as the support of developers, we are well prepared.

PANews: You chose to build MapleStory on Polygon initially, but later migrated to Avalanche. What was the reason for the change? What were the key factors you considered when choosing a blockchain network? Will you consider deploying on other chains in the future?

Anglela: Regarding partnerships, I can confidently say that both Polygon and Avalanche are great partners, but they have slightly different strengths and styles. Polygon is very innovative and moves fast, while Avalanche is more cautious, focusing on the experience of the game itself and experience in the game industry. Therefore, as the project develops, our needs and ideas are constantly changing. We gradually realized that we needed a partner who was more game-centric and could understand our needs, so we finally chose Avalanche.

I have no specific news to announce about whether we will deploy to other chains, but every technical choice we make will ultimately serve the best interests of MapleStory Universe and our users. If in the future we believe a certain chain can better support our user experience, we will consider that option.

Related reading: Avalanche's gaming ecosystem is gradually emerging after acquiring the classic game IP MapleStory

PANews: As an IP with a 20-year history, how does Maple Story attract Generation Z players?

Anglela: This does require some unique strategies and innovations. MapleStory is more than just a game, it has spanned generations of players, with a core group of loyal players concentrated in people who are now 20 to 30 years old. They have played MapleStory since they were young and grew up with it, and they still play it now. We also have many players who have married and started families through MapleStory. This generational influence makes Maple Story not just a game, but also a culture and community.

As for how to attract Gen Z players, especially for classic IPs like MapleStory, our strategy is to expand the audience through diversified media and experiences. From cooperative projects with elementary schools to web comics to the web3 version of the MapleStory universe, we are working hard to make the story of MapleStory relevant to each generation. In particular, through educational projects, the younger generation is exposed to MapleStory in their childhood and builds an emotional connection with them through these experiences. In addition, we also provide Gen Z with more modern content that is more in line with their consumption habits through forms such as web comics, so that MapleStory continues to remain attractive to the new generation of players.

Rather than simply attracting new users, we actually focus more on organic growth. The core concept of Maple Story Universe is contribution and reward. We hope to reward community members and developers who join the ecosystem and build and expand the functionality of NFTs with us. We can't just limit ourselves to development, we must consider the entire ecosystem. We are also thinking hard internally about how to give the community more support and really enable them to participate. This may involve support systems or the formulation of rules, but we hope that these rules will apply to everyone.

PANews: In addition to integrating the blockchain industry, what are the main content upgrades compared to the traditional web2 version?

Anglela: The core is MapleStory Universe. We see it as an ecosystem project based on the MapleStory IP, and we will provide a blockchain version of MapleStory as a foundation, which is called Maple Story N. This is where players first enter the MapleStory IP experience and can obtain characters or items here. More importantly, we hope to attract more developers to build their own experiences based on MapleStory. Whether it is a platform game or even an application based on MapleStory, as long as it is content that expands the MapleStory experience, we welcome and support it. This means that MapleStory Universe is not just a client game, it is an ecosystem that can be expanded infinitely.

PANews: We noticed that you recently completed the Pioneer beta. What were the results? Can you share some positive updates? Will the game be officially released this year or next?

Anglela: The Pioneer beta was a huge success. We invited 1,000 Pioneers to participate, but more than 33,000 actually applied, which shows how much enthusiasm and love there was. Even though the users who participated in the beta were all selected participants, the beta results still exceeded expectations. For example, our average retention rate reached 82%, which means that more than 82% of people participated in the 10-day beta. This number is actually very impressive because we have been serving Web 2 games for 30 years and have accumulated a lot of data, but 82% retention rate is almost unprecedented. Therefore, we checked the data again and again to confirm that this result is not wrong. This proves that users really love Maple Story.

We set up a task system to guide users on how to complete the tutorial or defeat a specific boss, and provide rewards for their actions. However, users are not limited to these requirements in the game. They test the game spontaneously and are willing to continue to participate during the testing period. In addition, nearly 200,000 transactions were completed during the testing period, and there were no problems with the blockchain and on-chain transactions, which is also a very positive signal for us. As for the official launch time of the game, we hope to ensure that the game version is stable enough before releasing it, and will provide more updates in the future.

PANews: Congratulations on the great success of your test. I would also like to ask, have you counted how many of your players are Korean and how many are from other countries?

Anglela: We don't actually break it down by country, but we do break it down by language. What we can say is that players come from all over the world, which is a very healthy phenomenon. Maple Story is very strong in certain regions, such as South Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, and Japan, and of course the United States and Europe are also strong markets for Maple Story.

What's even more exciting is that this is a global project and we no longer have to focus on just one specific region. We've seen a lot of interest in Maple Story from users in South America, India, and other places we haven't directly served before, which is very exciting for us. This could be a new entry point for them to get in touch with Maple Story. We're also considering how to provide more language support for these users, so you can expect us to improve this aspect.

PANews: WeMade is also a Korean game company that turned its flagship IP into a Web3 game. While its MIR4 was successful, it also brought some controversy. Can Nexon and MapleStory Universe learn some experience or lessons from it?

Anglela: We pay attention not only to Korean games, but also to games around the world to learn how to do things. But in the end we learn the most from our own experience. So we refer more to the experience of MapleStory and think about how to coordinate the Web2 version of MapleStory with the Web3 version of MapleStory. These are the main sources of inspiration for us.

But at the end of the day, we're most focused on building a sustainable gaming experience. We want MapleStory Universe to exist for 20, 30, or even 100 years as a core product. So we take that into account when developing systems, like the number of items is first controlled, and then maybe enhancements are determined by real-world supply and demand, so that it can self-regulate. These are the lessons we learned from the original MapleStory. Even in terms of community, we're thinking about how to improve the experience of the original MapleStory community in the Web3 era, and how to do better globally, such as interacting with the community on Discord.

PANews: According to data from investment bank Drag Star, in the second quarter of this year, investment in Web3 games accounted for about 40% of the entire game market and 44% of total financing. Do you think this growth momentum will continue?

Anglela: It is difficult to predict the performance of the market, but judging from the trend, more and more games are beginning to consider how to use blockchain technology to create sustainable products. As more and more successful cases emerge, investment will also grow. I think this will drive the continued development of the entire industry.

PANews: Web3 games and NFT technology applications are still resisted by some traditional players who are worried about speculation and hype. What do you think of these views and how to create a sustainable Web3 game that can attract a large number of users?

Anglela: For those players who are willing to abide by the limitations of the game client and just want to play the game and keep their items in the game, I think they make sense. They can continue to play the Web2 version of MapleStory, which also has a marketplace system, and like I mentioned, we're happy for them to enjoy that experience.

But our consideration in bringing MapleStory to Web3 is how to extend this experience beyond the client. We want to give these NFTs and props more vitality, so that the characters can go beyond the game client and continue to experience. Therefore, with blockchain technology, we are making these props interoperable, expanding their utility, while also enabling the entire ecosystem. This allows players to transparently measure individual contributions and ensure that everyone is working together and working together. By doing this, we are able to better reward the community for their contributions to the ecosystem.

PANews: If some Web2 players switch to Web3 games, will they return to Web2, or will they stay in Web3 games?

Anglela: I think they can play both games at the same time. The two games offer very different experiences. If they want a more story-driven, relaxed experience, they can continue to play the Web2 version. The Web3 version provides a more strategic, competitive experience, and players need to think more strategically. Both games have their own advantages, and players don't have to choose between them.

PANews: Games like Notcoin on Telegram have attracted millions of users, but many believe that such games driven by airdrop expectations are unsustainable. What do you think a sustainable Web3 game should look like?

Anglela: I think ultimately it depends on why you're doing this and what your ultimate goal is. If you're just doing it based on the short-term idea that a product can drive growth in the short term, I don't think it really makes sense.

For example. The quest system of MapleStory Universe is roughly divided into two parts. One is the automated part and the other is the non-automated part. The automated part mainly paves the way for players to settle in our platform more easily. For example, there will be a Medium article that details the direction of the MapleStory universe, and rewards you for reading this content because it is a kind of light participation. Not everyone can participate deeply in any type of activity, and this is the same for all game projects or any community projects. So we list these simpler tasks and experiences and reward them. When players understand what we want to do and discuss these contents at any time, this is a contribution in itself.

But we also want to reward community members for the experiences they create for themselves. So we have a project on Discord called the MapleStory Legion, which encourages anyone to become a KOL and make content that they think is related to MapleStory. It could be fan art, or it could be a walkthrough about "I participated in the pioneer test and thought this was the best way to get started." Those are all great content. Or someone can go deep into the MapleStory universe and discuss how it operates. It's also helpful for us to discuss these contents because I think it not only enhances the community's understanding of the MapleStory universe, but they are also building the community themselves. We hope to encourage more and more content like this.