The gaming industry lost a major figure when Kim Jung-Ju, founder of Nexon, passed away last month - announced by the company on February 28. While Nexon has been responsible for many huge titles, it’s perhaps best known for the 2003 sensationMapleStory. WhenMapleStoryfirst came to North America in May 2005, its overseas popularity translated well, and it became one of the first Asian MMOs to truly break into the western market.
Nearly two decades after its launch,MapleStoryis still going strong, even hosting a BTS collaborationtwo years ago.MapleStoryhas a myriad of reasons to explain its enduring popularity with its loyal fans, and most of them also explain its effect on other current-generation MMORPGs. While it is remembered for its quirky 2D art style paired with addicting combat,MapleStory’s true legacy lies in the way it changed the revenue models of online games.
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MapleStory Helped Popularize In-Game Microtransactions
While there are older examples of microtransactions appearing in games, MapleStory was among the first major titles to popularize the system. Since it was one of the few free-to-play game options available to western audiences at the time, alongsideRuneScape,MapleStorywas enjoyed by a massive amount of players who may not have otherwise spent money on games. In order to remedy the lack of revenue from player subscriptions or initial purchases,MapleStoryintroduced microtransactions - a concept that is now ubiquitous across nearly all genres of gaming. It’s arguably the main driver behind most AAA gaming companies' revenue, nettingActivision Blizzard over $5 billion USD last yearalone.
Though it was one of the first games to introduce microtransactions,MapleStoryalso established the principles ofwell-designed microtransactions still seen in modern games likeGenshin Impact. The original microtransactions were almost exclusively cosmetic options that had little-to-no bearing on the game. However, being among the first games to help popularize microtransactions also comes with the burden of all negative connotations associated with the practice, as seen in titles likeNew Worldor shooters likeCall of Duty: Warzone.
MapleStory Introduced Loot Boxes and Randomized Rewards
Perhaps the only funding model more controversial than microtransactions is loot boxes. While the origins of microtransactions are more vague, it is more or less agreed that concepts similar to modern-day loot boxes began to appear on JapaneseMapleStoryservers around 2004. At the time, players could purchase a “Gachapon ticket” for 100 yen - around a dollar - and get a randomized item from in-game vending machines. From there, the feature slowly gained popularity and has become fairly commonplace. In the MMO world, the loot box system was integrated into early titles likeLord of the Rings OnlineandStar Trek Online,but the system is perhaps best known for its relation to first-person shooter titles likeCounter-Strike: Global OffensiveorOverwatch.
The history of the loot box system is much like the microtransaction model thatMapleStoryhelped pioneer. While it began as a rather innocuous feature that put players in the driver’s seat for how much they’d be willing to spend on an otherwise free video game, it has since evolved and is not often viewed as a predatory system with studieslinking loot boxes and problematic gambling. Ultimately though, regardless of the wider gaming community’s stance on microtransactions and loot boxes, their impact is undeniable throughout the MMO genre - as well as nearly every other on the market today. Both systems found their roots in the early days of the 21st century withinMapleStory, just one key part of its legacy to this day.
