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Nexon recently announced plans to use a private Polygon supernet for its MapleStory universe to meet all requirements for seamless gameplay.
South Korean gaming giant Nexon has tapped Polygon for the Web3 integration of its MapleStory Universe. According to reports, the Tokyo-headquartered video game publisher seeks to run a Polygon supernet to support MapleStory Universe’s in-game offerings. The popular non-fungible token (NFT) game will reportedly rely on the private supernet to meet the complex requirements of online gaming.
MapleStory currently boasts 180 million registered users and is one of Nexon’s most successful games. By entering Web3 with its own Polygon supernet, the 2D side-scrolling game seeks to appeal to a broader fan base. A Polygon supernet is a customizable, flexible-friendly, and extensile blockchain stack that allows developers to create custom networks for existing applications.
As it stands, users transact items with one another using MapleStory’s current currency version. However, the Polygon supernet will facilitate user earning and accumulation of NFTs through gameplay. These items can further unlock various benefits or utilities across the MapleStory ecosystem.
Nexon MapleStory-Polygon Announcement sees MATIC Gain 5.5%
Nexon made the MapleStory-Polygon announcement yesterday at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Polygon’s native MATIC coin also rose following the announcement by one of the largest game publishers across Asia. The Ethereum-based digital currency is up 5.5% in the last 24 hours.
Hwang Sun-young, leader of the MapleStory Universe Group, commented on the Polygon development, saying:
“We are looking forward to expanding the NFT ecosystem envisioned by MapleStory Universe by building on Polygon. We will work closely with the team at Polygon Labs to develop and market the game.”
Urvit Goel, Polygon Labs VP, Global Games and Platform Business Development, also weighed in on the development. Pointing out that the upcoming game’s supernet will grant Nexon its own “dedicated app chain,” Goel also added:
“[Nexon and its planned supernet] have the ability to scale in a way that you can’t scale on a shared blockchain. They have a very broad vision of how many transactions they think they’ll do daily because the game and the IP is so large.”
MapleStory
MapleStory launched in 2003 and has proven to be a linchpin for Nexon. The game boasts a $4 billion revenue generation for the Japanese-South Korean gaming giant and has a massive fanbase. MapleStory announced the MapleStory Universe in 2022 but has yet to reveal a confirmed release date. However, Goel previously explained that the game would not have NFT presales, effectively nullifying in-game microtransactions. Instead, players can earn items as NFTs by simply playing MapleStory Universe.
As an NFT-focused game, MapleStory Universe will feature several tokenized assets for users to trade or transfer through an in-game marketplace. Furthermore, Nexon plans to see the Universe eventually have its dedicated crypto, although details remain unfinalized.
“We plan on issuing our unique coin, and specific details about this will be revealed later with our tokenomics,” the game studio explained.
In other developments, Polygon Labs President Ryan Wyatt identified South Korea as a key market for Web3 gaming.