Everything you need to know about MapleStory Universe, the Synergy Apps, Tokens and the Pioneer Test
MapleStory is one of the longest running PC MMORPG from Asia, developed by Nexon. With MapleStory Universe the brand makes its move towards an ecosystem with various virtual worlds, filled with creativity, collaboration and community. As the first blockchain-integrated game within this universe, MapleStory N is bringing this vision to life, and fostering a passionate community of gamers who are shaping the future of their favorite MMORPG.
MapleStory N is an MMORPG made for PC. Somewhere in 2024, the game will launch in regions which favor blockchain-powered games. Like its classic predecessor, MapleStory N wants to bring the joy of social role-playing games to players, but this time enhanced with Web3 features. Players can earn in-game rewards. These items have value through a user-driven economy, based on economic dynamics created by users. In the game, players get to use Neso as an in-game currency, but they can also trade the token outside of the game. Gamers can acquire and earn in-game items through gameplay, such as defeating monsters and completing quests – They further can generate those items into NFTs through their shared ability of creating items, thanks to the Nexpace Protocol (Further details are below).
Following the vision of broadening a game’s reach beyond gameplay itself, MapleStory Universe will offer various Synergy Apps that enhance the user experience. This includes the following:
- Quests – where users are encouraged to become active participants in the MapleStory Universe.
- Marketplace – where users can trade the NFTs they may have earned in MapleStory N. There will not be a premium shop for cash purchases.
- Explorer – where users can track onchain activity and key blockchain metrics.
- Navigator – where users can find and discover the various properties of items and NFTs available in the MapleStory Universe.
Their own MapleStory chain and the Pioneer Test
MapleStory Universe announced a partnership with Ava Labs earlier this year. The MMORPG will operate on its own MapleStory subnet, powered by Avalanche. The entire Web3 initiative from the MapleStory IP is managed by NEXPACE, a blockchain arm of Nexon Group. By running their own network, they can manage and stimulate community-involvement, while making the blockchain environment more suitable for users unfamiliar with blockchain technology.
From July 24th until August 2nd, NEXPACE invited a group of 1,000+ players to join the MapleStory N Pioneer Test. Peak activity hit 714 players at the same time, while 92% of the participating players came back multiple times during the testing period. The team recorded a retention rate of 79.97% after 7 days.
During the play test, gamers could mint their acquired items to the blockchain. With a total of 1,365 NFT characters, players minted 58,247 NFT weapons and armor pieces. In addition, gamers minted 129,883 fungible tokens, such as potions and other character buffs.
Core to all this economic activity is the in-game cryptocurrency Neso. The community brought 42,178.43 Nesos on-chain, while they spent 66% of all that to for example enhance their items with Power Crystal enchantments. In addition, players spent 24,851 Nesos to trade on the Marketplace, one of the so-called Synergy Apps for the MapleStory Universe ecosystem.
The fact that many early testers of the game took the effort to move assets to the blockchain, speaks volumes. It’s not without reason that the game registered over 195,000 transactions in just one week. Now that the first play test has ended, MapleStory has revealed their next chapter…
Nexpace Protocol on MapleStory Universe
While MapleStory N already had a play test, not all features have been revealed yet. This week the team revealed the native token, NXPC. Players and community members can tap into NXPC in various ways, but MapleStory always wants to make sure that supply doesn’t outpace demand.
Nexpace Protocol lets users to
- Create in-game items with a tokenized ability to create items
- Earn NXPC as rewards by engaging community activities and supporting the growth of the ecosystem
NEXPACE stated that they aim to only have a limited supply of mintable items per game cycle. NXPC’s innovative protocol is designed to foster sustainable ecosystem growth by maintaining the balance of in-game items while encouraging users to engage more by participating in item creation. The element of scarcity also reinforces the increase of item value and NXPC value over time, and this is designed to happen in a sustainable manner.
Closing words
The Pioneer Test for MapleStory N was met with lots of praise, while the newly announced Nexpace Protocol further feeds our hunger to play this social MMORPG. MapleStory has been around for over 21 years, and the team uses that experience to improve the implementation of Web3 mechanics. We can’t be more excited about the future of MapleStory N, because Web3 gaming is here to stay and this MMO is paving the way for mass adoption.
