What’s Next for ‘MapleStory Universe’? More Ways to Play

MapleStory Universe is the new crypto-fueled ecosystem for the two-decade-old cult classic role-playing game series, MapleStory. After launching its flagship game last month, the developers are hoping to release more than a dozen mobile and web experiences by Q1 2026 that complement the core MapleStory N game.

MapleStory N is a PC-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that looks and feels like the original side-scrolling game that amassed 260 million players. In-game items for MapleStory N are represented as NFTs on the dedicated Avalanche L1 gaming network, Henesys, and can be freely traded on the marketplace. 

This is just the first installment in the broader crypto MapleStory Universe, which aims to lower the barriers of entry with future additions to the ecosystem. Keith Kim, head of strategy at developer Nexpace—the blockchain arm of gaming giant Nexon—told Decrypt that MapleStory N being a PC-only title is a weakness that can be fixed.

“How do we extract the core fun of these core games and make it available on mobile, on the go, or on the web—so you don’t have to sit in front of your PC or download 20 gigabyte clients to do it?” Kim said of their thought process. “How do we make it a little lighter?”

He compared the vision to how EA FC’s Ultimate Team gameplay loop works. In that console-centric soccer game, players can download a mobile app that allows them to grind through certain aspects of the game in order to improve their fantasy team; this includes tasks to earn packs, ways to open packs to earn new players, and more. 

Kim envisions a similar model being implemented for the MapleStory Universe over the coming months. The first of these experiences will be a web app, expected in late July or early August, that enables players to enhance their items.

“We’re extracting the core fun of MapleStory. For example, creating your character, growing your character, leveling up, getting experience points, doing quests, doing the boss, acquiring items,” Kim told Decrypt. “All of these core components are now confined to the PC. We’re extracting these out to the mobile and web environment, so you can have a more relaxed relationship with the core game.”

The goal of this approach is to allow players to casually grind while they’re at work, commuting, or on the toilet—so that when they have spare time on the weekend, they can play the flagship MapleStory N game without needing to worry about the grinding elements.

Kim said this is a direct response to the MapleStory player base growing up and becoming adults, and having less time to dedicate to the game.

Another app being developed is a rental system that allows users to pay other players to level up their character for them. Kim anticipates this will be released by Q1 of 2026, although he warned that the concept is still in early discussions and subject to change.

To achieve its long-term vision, Nexpace is speaking to third-party developers to build these mobile and in-browser experiences that feed back into the core game.

“We have received dozens of ideas from builders. We have received hundreds of emails from builders just over the last 15 days,” Kim said, adding that the team is curating which concepts to greenlight. “There will be easily over a dozen of these products to be rolled out by Q1 next year. I think there is going to be a lot. It’s definitely not going to be like three or four.”

Right now, builders need approval from Nexpace to build a MapleStory Universe product, as they need to be issued an API key. But over the long term, Kim said that MapleStory strives to go permissionless once its developer community center is rolled out, predicted to be in Q3 or Q4 of this year. 

He added that builders will be rewarded with NXPC tokens, of which 80% of the supply is pegged for contributor rewards. Nexpace is driving the experience for now, but that balance will change over time.

“Right now, certainly, we have to admit that we are the only contributors,” Kim told Decrypt. “We hope to see the contributors number go up [so they can] receive a share of that weekly admission of NXPC.”

Edited by Andrew Hayward