Today, the classic online game MapleStory, which carries countless memories of those born in the 80s and 90s, officially launched its blockchain version, MapleStory N, fulfilling everyone's two-year-long expectation and going viral immediately upon launch!
Major exchanges announced their listing immediately, and many veterans of chain games were moved to tears, seeing what was lost in chain games return. Many accounts received airdrops of 15,000 USD, once again winning big. How long will this highly anticipated game maintain its popularity?
From pixelated worlds to blockchain universes
As a core project of Nexon’s blockchain subsidiary NexSpace, MapleStory N officially launched today, with 500,000 players having experienced this 'nostalgia + innovation' adventure in advance through a pioneer test.
The game retains the classic 2D side-scrolling graphics and character settings, but all items (including red and blue potions, return scrolls) exist in the form of NFTs. Players can obtain them through monster hunting, quests, or community contributions and trade freely in a decentralized market.
It is worth noting that the game adopts a dual-token economic model:
NXPC: An ecological governance token used to pay gas fees and exchange for NFT items, with a total supply of 1 billion coins; 80% is awarded to players and developers through a contribution mechanism. This stands in stark contrast to many chain games where most tokens belong to the project team, investors, and developers, indicating that the official party is investing significantly and adhering to long-term principles. Currently, the total circulating market value of NXPC has exceeded 3 billion USD, with a circulating market value of around 600 million USD.
NESO: The in-game currency used to enhance equipment and purchase services, which can be exchanged at a fixed rate with NXPC and redeemed at any time.
This design allows players to be both adventurers and ecological builders—by participating in UGC content creation and maintaining game economic balance, players can earn continuous profits.
Return of old players and influx of new players
After the announcement, MapleStory N sparked heated discussions on platforms like Twitter and Reddit, with the #MapleStoryNFT topic reading over 50 million times.
Old players sighed: 'The 'Sword of Solomon' that dropped in the Archer Village back then can finally be passed on to my son now!'; new players are attracted by the 'play-to-earn' model, with wallet registrations exceeding 970,000 during the testing period and daily transaction counts reaching 3.15 million.
Platforms like Douyin and other Chinese communities have sparked a wave of nostalgia, with related videos on 'MapleStory NFT brick-moving strategies' exceeding 20 million views, where players share experiences of earning profits by selling rare items. One player stated, 'I spend 2 hours a day hunting monsters and sell NFTs at my stall on weekends; I can earn 2000 USD in a month, which is better than working!'
Binance and Avalanche escorting, with major exchanges launching it first.
To ensure technological implementation, MapleStory N has received support from two major blockchain giants:
BNB: Provides Supernet technology for instant NFT transactions with zero gas fees, while also supporting cross-chain asset interoperability.
Avalanche: As a base layer blockchain, its subnet technology provides an independent blockchain environment for the game, ensuring high TPS and low latency, with peak processing reaching 2000 transactions per second during testing.
This 'dual blockchain cooperation' model ensures a smooth gaming experience while reserving interfaces for future integration with DeFi, the metaverse, and other ecosystems.
Today, leading exchanges such as Binance, Bybit, and Upbit have announced the listing of the MapleStory token NXPC, with Binance seeing a peak increase of 3747%, and the popularity remains high.
From game to ecological empire
Nexon's ambition goes beyond just one game. According to the plan, MapleStory N will serve as the starting point for the 'MapleStory Universe', gradually integrating its IPs like Dungeon Fighter Online and Lost Ark to build a metaverse ecosystem with cross-game NFT interoperability.
The NXPC accumulated by players in MapleStory N can be used in the future to purchase weapon skin NFTs in Dungeon Fighter Online or participate in virtual land auctions in Lost Ark.
Industry experts believe that this 'IP + blockchain' model may trigger a chain reaction. Traditional gaming companies like Blizzard and Tencent have begun to pay attention to the progress of MapleStory N, while Web3 native projects are also learning from its 'limited + dynamic pricing' mechanism. However, challenges also exist: balancing player benefits with game fairness and addressing regulatory differences across countries will be long-term issues that Nexon must face.
Twenty years ago, MapleStory ignited a generation's youth with its pixel graphics and adventure stories; twenty years later, blockchain technology has given this nostalgia a more lasting carrier. When 'Skill Book NFTs' are auctioned at high prices and 'Maple Leaf Coin NFTs' become hard currency on the chain, we see not only the evolution of the game but also the hope for the revival of blockchain gaming.
