Source: Nexon

Nexon (co-CEOs Kang Dae-hyun and Kim Jung-wook) announced on the 13rd that it has launched six new worlds created by university students on its free block-coding platform, 'HelloMaple,' and is hosting a user-participation voting event.

This project was organized for the second consecutive year to foster next-generation creators and diversify content within the HelloMaple platform. This year, six teams from three university game development clubs participated: Seoul National University's 'SNUGDC,' Korea University's 'CAT&DOG,' and Yonsei University's 'PoolC.' Using the 'MapleStory Worlds Pro Mode,' they officially released six new hyper-casual games on the 1st.

The six newly released worlds feature simple controls and intuitive gameplay, making them accessible to everyone. In particular, 'Save the Rock Spirit!' by the Korea University club and 'Spelling Forest of Patience' by the Yonsei University club reinterpret familiar 'MapleStory' IP elements through the hyper-casual genre, offering users a fresh experience. Through this project, the participating students gained practical experience as game creators by managing the entire process from content planning to production and launch.

To celebrate the launch, Nexon is holding a user voting event until August 2. Users can play the six new hyper-casual worlds and vote for their two favorites. Participants will be entered into a raffle for various prizes, including MapleStory character merchandise and ice cream vouchers.

Nexon General Director Shin Min-seok stated, "This project was a meaningful opportunity for university students to grow into next-generation creators by experiencing the entire process from content planning to launch based on their own fresh ideas. We will continue to provide extensive support to foster a creative ecosystem where passionate creators can realize their dreams."

Meanwhile, Nexon plans to analyze the results of the voting event and actual gameplay data to identify user preferences, which will be used to guide future content development for HelloMaple. Furthermore, the company intends to continue collaborating with university student creators to introduce diverse content and support the growth of the creative ecosystem and the development of new talent.