Nexon Teams Up with Polygon to Launch New NFT Game, MapleStory Universe

Quick take:

• Nexon is teaming up with Polygn to create a new NFT game dubbed MapleStory Universe.
• The Korean game publisher first forayed into NFTs last June with MapleStory N.
• Players and creators in the Maplestory Universe will be able to develop and manage NFTs in the virtual world.

Nexon has collaborated with Polygon to launch a new non-fungible token (NFT) game, MapleStory Universe. The Korean video game publisher will allow players and creators to develop and manage NFTs in the virtual world, giving them digital ownership of in-game items in the game.

The company began its foray into NFT gaming in June last year when it announced MapleStory N and MapleStory Mobile N. Developed within the new MapleStory Universe, the two games will allow creators to develop new content and characters based on MapleStory IP.

Beginning with MapleStory N, Nexon will add the MapleStory-based IP and dApp support before introducing the use of dApps and NFTs to the rest of the MapleStory Universe.

MapleStory is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) with more than 180 million registered players. The game also boasts a strong community on social media platforms and gaming forums. However, the MapleStory Universe is far bigger than that, encompassing makers of third-party games and user-generated content.

In a session on Tuesday during the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the company said the NFTs will have both tangible and intangible utility, as it charts a path that some traditional gamers in the west continue to resist.

Unlike regular video games where players can buy weapons and skins, MapleStory N will not include a cash shop. Players will acquire in-game assets via the gameplay by completing quests and defeating monsters.

NFTs are limited in each level or region in the game, which creates a valuation mechanism and fun for ownership. The company wants to demystify the myth that NFT games are not fun by building its new blockchain game on top of its already fun and successful franchise.

Its collaboration with Polygon will also play a big role given the Layer 2 blockchain protocol’s big network of crypto-native users.

Polygon recently formed an alliance with fellow Ethereum scaler, Immutable to create a new web3 gaming ecosystem dubbed Immutable zkEVM, powered by Polygon. The new gaming platform utilises zero-knowledge rollups to provide infinite scalability while maintaining the security protocols provided by the Ethereum network.

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