'MapleStory N' Game Launches on Avalanche With Surging NXPC Token

Avalanche blockchain game MapleStory N launched on Thursday alongside a token and NFTs, in what some crypto gamers are hailing as one of the biggest rollouts to date in the industry.

It was so significant that Avalanche saw a 549% spike over the past seven days in active addresses, according to Nansen data, as it processed the biggest NFT mint the network has ever seen.

"This launch sets the stage for a broader, community-powered economy where players are not just consumers, but co-creators in the MapleStory Universe," Sunyoung Hwang, CEO of MapleStory Universe creator Nexpace, told Decrypt.

The recently launched game is the first title in an expanded MapleStory Universe ecosystem, which sees the beloved 22-year-old gaming IP adopt blockchain for the first time.

“The MapleStory Universe launch has been one of the biggest we’ve seen on Avalanche,” Parker Heath, Gaming Lead at Ava Labs, told Decrypt. “This launch is a strong example of how a major title can drive real usage and showcase the strengths of the network.”

MapleStory N is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) centered around the 2D side-scrolling combat and exploration that will be familiar to franchise fans. The crypto twist allows for players own and trade in-game assets on a dedicated Avalanche L1 chain called Henesys, which went live in April.

In the build-up to the launch, players could mint a free Scroll NFT that rewards its holders with special in-game items. Over the weeklong mint period, according to OpenSea, more than 1.7 million Scrolls were minted. Ava Labs said it’s the largest mint in Avalanche history.

"NFT holders will gain access to an evolving world of content, events, and gameplay built around their assets," Hwang explained. "NXPC will continue to drive these interactions, enabling anyone to play, contribute, and help grow the MapleStory Universe."

Alongside the game launch on Thursday, the ecosystem’s token Nexpace (NXPC) also started trading, settling at a $441 million market cap as of this writing, according to CoinMarketCap. It’s one of the highest-value gaming tokens on the market now, ranked 132nd overall among all coins.

NXPC is up 76% since the overnight launch, landing at a current price of $2.61, though newly launched tokens are typically highly volatile. The token rose as high as $3.84 earlier, and has already racked up over $2 billion in trading volume.

Players have also reported that in-game items are being listed as NFTs on the marketplace, despite servers being too busy for some to enter the game. Those who have managed to get in have posted on social media about being filled with feelings of nostalgia.

“This is easily the biggest crypto game launch to date,” Inspector, the pseudonymous founder of crypto gaming guild Tokenize 360, told Decrypt. 

Off the Grid’s launch into early access last fall was hailed by many industry observers as the most successful in crypto gaming, as developer Gunzilla claimed to have drawn in 15 million players, it landed at the top of the Epic Games free-to-play list, and attracted mainstream attention. But the game’s crypto features have been running on testnet, and only recently are coming online in a player-facing way with on-chain trading capabilities.

By contrast, MapleStory N has launched with substantial on-chain functionality, right off the bat.

“Off the Grid had significantly more launch day players, I don’t think anyone will come close to that any time soon. But MapleStory N is a true crypto game at heart,” Inspector said. “It’s not bigger than Off the Grid, but it’s more significant for the industry, in my opinion.”

Why has the launch been such a success? Ava Labs believes it's rooted in the cultural significance of the franchise, now evolved to embrace crypto tech.

“MapleStory is a legendary IP with deep emotional resonance, especially across Asia where its cultural footprint is comparable to something like World of Warcraft,” Heath explained. “But beyond sentiment, it’s a natural fit for Web3. MapleStory has always had massive in-game economies, and bringing real ownership to that ecosystem just makes sense.”

A successful launch is a good first step, but Nexpace isn't finished yet and is already eyeing up next moves.

"Next, we’re introducing creator tools like the MapleStory Universe API and expanding Synergy apps, allowing players to build new experiences using their NFTs," Hwang said.

Edited by Andrew Hayward

Editor's note: This story was updated after publication to add comments from Sunyoung Hwang.