Expanding its reach, Polygon blockchain is all set to integrate a new Web3 game. But this isn’t any ordinary launch.
MapleStory Universe, a Web3 game based on the popular pixelated 2D role-playing franchise from Nexon, Korea’s largest game developer, and publisher, is to go live soon.
To support the new game, Nexon is opening a private Supernet on Polygon, the gaming giant announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
Launched in 2003, MapleStory has been a resounding success for Nexon. The firm reported earlier this year that the game had brought in more than $4 billion in revenue so far and had more than 180 million registered users. An even greater figure of over 260 million players is listed on the game’s Steam page.
In a statement released to the media, MapleStory Universe Group Leader Hwang Sun-young said,
We are looking forward to expanding the NFT ecosystem envisioned by MapleStory Universe by building on Polygon. We will work closely with the team to develop and market the game.
Speaking on the latest development, Ryan Wyatt, President of the Polygon labs said that South Korea is “a critical market,” for Web3 gaming.
Wyatt also tweeted, Nexon joins other AAA developers like Square Enix in choosing to build on Polygon.
Previously, Square Enix, the Tokyo-based video game juggernaut behind well-known series like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, said that it will be collaborating with the Polygon network to introduce a gamified art-collecting experience.
Top Brands Swarm Around Polygon
The NFT project titled Symbiogenesis was first unveiled way back in Nov 2022. In the spring of 2023, sales of the Symbiogensis NFT collection and the free browser service are expected to begin.
Another noteworthy brand to mention is Starbucks, which just partnered with Polygon for a Web3 push, along with Meta, whose NFT is already trending on Instagram.
Other popular brands building on Polygon are Reddit, whose NFT avatars have amassed more than 3 million users, and Nike’s future digital apparel platform.
Furthermore, Immutable, a Web3 game entity, recently tapped the layer-2 blockchain as well. The two businesses declared their new strategic partnership at the Game Developer Conference this week. Both sides anticipate that it would hasten innovation and adoption in the burgeoning crypto-gaming industry.