Nexon recently announced plans to use a private Polygon supernet for its MapleStory universe to meet all the requirements for seamless gameplay.
South Korean gaming giant Nexon has struck Polygon for the Web3 integration of your MapleStory Universe. The Tokyo-based video game publisher is reportedly looking to run a Polygon supergrid 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 has 180 million registered users and is one of Nexon’s most successful games. Entering Web3 with its own Polygon supergrid, the 2D side-scroller looks to appeal to a broader fanbase. A Polygon supergrid is a customizable, flexible, and extensible blockchain stack that allows developers to build custom networks for existing applications.
As it stands, users transact with each other using MapleStory’s current currency version. However, the Polygon supernet will make it easier for the user to earn and accumulate NFTs through gameplay. These items can further unlock various benefits or utilities throughout the MapleStory ecosystem.
Nexon MapleStory-Polygon ad shows MATIC gain of 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 from one of the largest game publishers in Asia. The Ethereum-based digital currency is up 5.5% in the last 24 hours.
Hwang Sun-young, the leader of MapleStory Universe Group, commented on the development of Polygon, saying:
“We look forward to expanding the NFT ecosystem envisioned by MapleStory Universe by building on Polygon. We will work closely with the Polygon Labs team to develop and commercialize the game.”
Urvit Goel, Polygon Labs vice president, global games and platform business development, was also involved in the development. Noting that the upcoming game’s supergrid will give Nexon its own “dedicated app chain,” Goel also added:
“[Nexon and its planned supernet] have the ability to scale in a way that you cannot scale on a shared blockchain. They have a very broad view of how many transactions they think they will do on a daily basis because the game and the intellectual property are so big.”
maplestory
MapleStory launched in 2003 and has proven to be a lynchpin for Nexon. The game boasts a revenue generation of $4 billion for the Japanese-South Korean gaming giant and has a huge fan base. MapleStory announced MapleStory Universe in 2022, but has yet to reveal a confirmed release date. However, Goel previously explained that the game would have no NFT pre-sale, effectively nullifying in-game microtransactions. Instead, players can earn items like NFTs just by playing MapleStory Universe.
As an NFT-focused game, MapleStory Universe will feature various tokenized assets for users to trade or transfer via an in-game marketplace. Additionally, Nexon plans to see Universe finally have its dedicated crypto, though details remain to be finalized.
“We plan to issue our unique currency, and specific details about this will be revealed later with our tokenomics,” the game studio explained.
In other developments, Polygon Labs president Ryan Wyatt has identified South Korea as a key market for Web3 games.
next
Tolu is a Lagos-based blockchain and cryptocurrency enthusiast. He likes to demystify the crypto stories down to the basics so that anyone anywhere can understand them without too much prior knowledge. When he’s not up to his neck in crypto-stories, Tolu likes music, loves to sing, and is an avid movie buff.
