As a seasoned game developer with years of experience under my belt, I can wholeheartedly say that the vision for MapleStory Worlds is nothing short of inspiring. The focus on community building and fostering a new generation of game creators resonates deeply with me, as I too have been nurtured by the gaming industry’s supportive ecosystem.
Instead of just bearing the same name as the popular 2D MMORPG MapleStory by Nexon, MapleStory Worlds functions more like a creative platform equipped with a suite of development tools rather than a game itself. By utilizing the massive library of over 30 million assets that have been amassed throughout decades of MapleStory’s existence, creators are given the opportunity to construct entirely new games using an array of potent tools. In addition, creators can profit from their creations and essentially establish their own studios by leveraging built-in social features. Toben Studio is the publishing company responsible for MapleStory Worlds, with a focus on fostering a connection between creators and players while nurturing the upcoming generation of developers.
In a chat with Dennis Bernardo, the senior producer of MapleStory Worlds, we delved into what content creators can achieve using this platform. Not only can they develop entirely fresh games, ranging from tower defense to shooting games, but artists can also dedicate their efforts to creating and earning money by producing assets for other projects. Moreover, Bernardo highlighted Nexon (alongside Toben Studio) and their commitment to nurturing a new wave of game developers, offering numerous programs and educational resources designed to educate aspiring creators in the essential skills required for success. For clarity and conciseness, this transcript has been condensed.
How MapleStory Worlds Took Shape In Its Early Days
Q: Can you talk about what you do as a senior producer for MapleStory Worlds ?
In my role as the lead producer for MapleStory Worlds, I manage our entire production crew which comprises of producers, product managers, creator program managers, among others. Strategically, I establish a broad vision for the game and guide the team’s efforts accordingly. I collaborate extensively with our development team based at Nexon Korea, who are responsible for building our platform, in an effort to bring the project to fruition as quickly as possible.
A: Since I’ve been involved with MapleStory for ten years now, could you ask me to share some insights about my experience working on this game franchise over such a lengthy period?
Absolutely, for the past decade, I’ve been fortunate to be part of the Nexon family, primarily contributing to the beloved game, MapleStory. Initially, I dedicated my time to the PC or global version of MapleStory itself. Recently, I transitioned into a position where I manage all MapleStory-related products, including MapleStory for PC, MapleStory Mobile, and exciting new projects like MapleStory Worlds.
For a long time, our dream has been to witness the expansion of MapleStory as a brand, which is one of the motivations behind the creation of MapleStory Worlds at Nexon. We’ve been operating MapleStory for approximately 20 years in Korea and around 18 to 19 years in North America, amassing a substantial collection of assets during that time. Instead of keeping all these resources to ourselves, we thought it would be enjoyable to let players use them to craft their own adventures.
Many individuals have developed alongside MapleStory. Some of my colleagues played MapleStory during their childhood, high school, college years, and beyond; as they’ve matured, I’ve noticed a strong desire among the player community to explore fresh adventures and discover where MapleStory might lead us next.
A: I’d be happy to discuss my experiences from the first day of working on MapleStory Worlds. Some of the initial choices we made, which have significantly impacted the project over time, include…
“It’s clear that MapleStory Worlds marks a fresh start for Nexon, and for myself and some other team members, it’s a unique project we haven’t worked on before. The excitement was palpable, but so were the challenges, particularly figuring out how to organize the team and develop the platform, as well as deciding which features would be most appealing to creators.
During many of those initial gatherings, we pondered over the question, “For whom is this platform designed?” Although it’s primarily for MapleStory enthusiasts, our aim is also to attract a diverse range of gamers who might not be familiar with MapleStory. As a game and content creation platform, we are dedicated to nurturing the upcoming generation of video game developers and content creators.
In our vision, users should be able to add their personal content, design outfits, and even generate income from this platform. To foster the growth of future game developers, we aim to equip them with knowledge in managing communities and live operations. We believe MapleStory Worlds is an excellent tool for achieving this objective.
Q: Is there any feedback you’ve been implementing from MapleStory Worlds ’ South Korean launch?
As a gamer myself, I must say it’s been an enlightening journey since we launched this game in South Korea about two years ago. It’s been a great opportunity for us to understand how to manage the service effectively and address the needs of our players, like implementing requested features such as enhanced social interactions, ways to connect with friends, and tools to discover other gamers who are shaping the world we all inhabit within the game.
One significant improvement we’ve made since our initial stages, inspired by creators we collaborated with, is providing them with comprehensive data about their games. This includes who is playing and how they are interacting. As a publisher, these details are essential to us, so we decided to share this information with the creators themselves. They can use this data to make informed decisions similar to what a professional publisher or developer would do. For instance, if they see that players are more engaged with a particular product, they might decide to create additional content for it. Or, if they notice that players are dropping out early in the game, they could enhance their tutorials to improve player retention.
One primary aim here is to produce content and establish a rich library of such content, which will naturally draw players towards these games and generate income for the content creators. To truly foster growth, as a platform developer and service provider, we must strengthen features to help creators achieve their objectives, so we placed a lot of emphasis on this in our initial stages.
Here’s where we’ll touch down currently, and while we’re softly launching on October 16th in South Korea, we anticipate players from other regions will offer diverse and substantial feedback due to differences in their locations. We view this as an opportunity for ongoing learning and platform enhancement as we progress.
Could you elaborate a bit on the tools you’ve implemented for maintaining moderation, despite anticipating challenges? I’d love to hear more about them and their capabilities.
On any platform that relies on user-generated content, maintaining moderation will always be a continuous challenge. We’ve equipped ourselves with various tools and have established procedures, but they are continually evolving. As for our approach, when you post content, it passes through automated filters designed to determine if the content aligns with our platform’s standards.
In some stages, it may be beneficial for human input to verify and assess, and we also offer advanced reporting features. We’ll lean on our user base to report issues, as any reliable content creation platform should have this functionality. Occasionally, users or creators might spot something that we haven’t noticed, or find content objectionable. We’re addressing a variety of aspects, including filtering at the upload stage and strong reporting mechanisms for when content is already live on the platform.
Question: Many people have drawn parallels between MapleStory Worlds and Roblox. How do you perceive these similarities? Are they valid? In what ways do you believe MapleStory Worlds distinguishes itself when it comes to social aspects?
In discussing various content creation platforms, it’s natural to compare them, but what sets MapleStory Worlds apart is an emphasis on social experiences, particularly the ability to create games with your friends. Our platform boasts a unique group creation mode where you can form your own groups, invite your friends, and collaborate on the same game simultaneously.
As a gamer, I’m part of something that feels like a game development studio, but it’s even more exciting because we, the players, get to build our very own community. We’re working hard during this global soft launch to establish spaces where we can connect and collaborate on Discord, our platform website, live streams, and other interactive platforms. This is where we can find each other, brainstorm common goals, choose games to develop, create worlds, and design experiences that we can all enjoy together. It’s like being a part of something truly special!
As a gamer myself, I can tell you that having access to over 30 million assets for MapleStory makes it incredibly user-friendly. With our design mode, you can easily jump in and start creating without needing any coding skills. It’s like having a drag-and-drop content creation platform that’s as simple as pie!
Q: How exactly does a group of creators collaborate on a world?
Users have the freedom to establish their own teams directly within our platform. Our intuitive user interface allows you to invite your friends to join the same ‘Creator Group’, so you don’t necessarily need to be in the same physical location. When you start using the creation tools, it doesn’t matter if you’re not all seated around the same computer. Instead, this feature facilitates a seamless collaboration experience for individuals worldwide who have joined the group, enabling them to contribute to the same project simultaneously.
In this setup, you can develop various levels and unique features separately, as they are not interconnected. Once everyone is part of the same team working on the same project, all these independent parts harmoniously combine together. It presents an exciting prospect for creators to essentially design their own miniature MapleStory Worlds.
How can you capitalize on the fact that a significant part of the MapleStory community views it as more about fashion, which they refer to as “FashionStory”?
Absolutely, FashionStory has become an integral aspect of MapleStory, a realization I’ve made over the years. Previously, we showcased some elements of the character creation and personalization that we felt were crucial to the overall MapleStory experience. By exploring various outfits, hats, tops, bottoms, and all other items ever released by MapleStory, you can customize your character in numerous unique ways.
I think what’s really cool and going to take FashionStory even further is the ability to create your own avatar items. We have so many talented people in the MapleStory community who create their own designs. We’ve run contests in the past for global MapleStory, and some of those user designs have actually made it into the game, but now you can actually do it natively within MapleStory Worlds. You can create a hat, create a shirt, create a weapon, upload it, and then make money off of it. That opens up another avenue for creators in addition to creating worlds and full-fledged games. If you just want to create art, and if you want to just create avatar items, that is another avenue and another option for you as well.
Question: Could you elaborate on the stages involved in shaping our creative tools? How long did we go through this process before reaching its current state?
Discussing that topic could take hours! As you might know if you’re into game development, things can transform significantly from the initial concept to the final product for users. We’ve gained valuable insights throughout our internal testing on what aspects would truly improve the development experience. Over the last few years, we conducted both internal and external focus tests, and additionally utilized the soft launch in Korea to collect public feedback.
One key lesson we gleaned when MapleStory launched in Korea was our desire to foster a diverse range of MapleStory experiences. Initially, the games people were drawn to were more akin to the traditional MapleStory experience. However, what’s truly exciting is that players now have the means to shape their own unique MapleStory journeys. We’re also committed to broadening our goal of offering different types of experiences, as evidenced by the variety of games, such as shooters, survival games, and tower defense, that we’ve developed since the project’s inception. It’s this creativity from our players and creators that we eagerly anticipate seeing more of.
A: Are there two distinct methods for producing content, a simpler drag-and-drop option and a more advanced Pro setting. What projects can be created using each method? Can someone working in Pro mode produce exactly the same output as another user in the basic mode?
In the Design mode, we’re aiming to offer a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that caters to accessibility and offers templates for various types of games. We’ve created different templates for different game categories such as RPGs, platformers, and more. This way, beginners can quickly get started by selecting a template, customizing it with characters and text, and publishing their game in just a few minutes.
With the Pro setting, we’re providing more intricate tools to empower creators to explore a broader spectrum of game types, limited mostly by their creativity. You might notice distinct differences in the kinds of games arising from users in Design mode versus those using Professional mode, and that’s perfectly fine. Our aim is to welcome creators to use whichever setting suits them best.
MapleStory Worlds Is Training The Next Generation of Developers
A: You earlier brought up the concept of preparing the upcoming developers’ generation. Could you elaborate a bit more on why this is crucial for our team, and how we ensure effective training of developers in the context of MapleStory Worlds?
As a dedicated gamer, I can tell you one of the key objectives for MapleStory Worlds is to let players savor the rich gaming assets we’ve meticulously crafted throughout the years. Yet, it’s not just about playing these games – it’s also about fostering a passion for game development itself. That’s where our creative programs outside the platform truly shine. I lead a team that’s all about collaboration; we partner with various organizations to organize challenges, game jams, contests, and more. Our goal is simple: to open up the world of game creation to as many people as possible.
As somebody who works in the game industry, I want everybody to do what I do. We want everybody to love the games that they are playing but also love the process and learn about the process of making games. We want to make that easier, so a lot of the things that we’re doing are centered around that. We’ve partnered with organizations that teach kids to code, and we want to introduce the concept of game development in a fun way for people even as young as elementary school. We’re running programs that target people who are in college in game design programs, introducing MapleStory Worlds into their curriculum. We want a wide variety of people to learn about the process of game development and if that’s something they really take a liking to and want to create their own experiences, and they have all this creativity but they don’t have the tools to do so. They can hopefully make a career out of it, and that’s what we’d love to see.
Have any unique elements or discoveries made by Korean players or those involved in testing MapleStory Worlds particularly caught your attention on a personal level because the game isn’t confined to just the 2D platforming MMORPG genre?
Over time, we’ve encountered a multitude of diverse experiences and games. The moment I witnessed Getting Over It executed on the platform was surreal – something I never thought possible with that particular visual style! It was fascinating to observe. Our team has also developed numerous games internally, initially as personal projects, which we are now eager to promote. Some of these internal creations will be showcased upon our launch.
It seems likely that a multitude of games will be accessible during the initial global release, leaving many MapleStory players astounded, exclaiming something like, “Wow, I never thought MapleStory assets could be utilized in such a manner!” Additionally, individuals unfamiliar with MapleStory may find it surprising to encounter this genre on this particular platform.
Q: Can you explain the difference between World Coins and Reward Coins?
In the realm of MapleStory Worlds, World Coin serves as the primary currency for transactions. Players can acquire this coin using real money, which they then use to buy items in the avatar shop or those created by other players and developers. This same currency is also used when players decide to cash out their earnings, such as when they purchase items made by creators within the game. Essentially, World Coin provides a way for players to generate income from MapleStory Worlds through their own creations.
As a devoted enthusiast, I’d like to share some insights about Reward Coins. Unlike conventional currencies, these coins are primarily distributed during promotional events, contests, and similar giveaways. They can also be utilized for purchasing items, both in the avatar shop and within the game itself. However, what sets Reward Coins apart is that players can acquire them at no cost through various in-game events.
Q: Can you talk about how creators set things like prices?
In relation to the business structure creators could establish within MapleStory Worlds, they have the freedom to choose any model that suits them best. Whether they prefer selling season passes or individual packages, similar to what’s available in other online games, I believe it’s possible to implement such models in MapleStory Worlds.
Q: How do creators earn income on MapleStory Worlds?
As a game creator, I rake in earnings from the sale of World Coins. Within my own virtual worlds, I can offer goods and exchange them for these World Coins. Additionally, if I have registered any avatar-related products, I can also sell those items in the Avatar Shop, all for the same World Coin currency.
Q: How much can creators earn on MapleStory Worlds?
Creators will receive 35% of the income generated by their sales of World Coin on MapleStory Worlds. The rest covers app store and transaction fees, platform maintenance, operational costs, and Toben Studio’s share. There is no ceiling to the amount you can earn, but the maximum withdrawal per month is $10,000 USD. This revenue-sharing model is consistent across all regions, ensuring that creators worldwide have an equal opportunity to benefit from it.
Q: When can creators start earning income?
To take out your World Coin winnings, you’ll utilize a tool known as “Cashout.” To do so, you must have at least $100 USD in accumulated earnings. The Cashout feature is set to launch in November 2024.
As a fan, I’m curious about your approach when it comes to creating season passes and battle passes. Specifically, I’d like to understand more about how you assist content creators in designing these elements. Perhaps some creators are aware of the concept of a battle pass but unsure about structuring one themselves. Could you share some insights on this?
In general, our aim is for creators to dive straight into the MapleStory Worlds. We’re striving to make it easier with design modes and providing access to assets right away. However, we understand that some creators may need a bit more instruction or direction on what has worked well in similar scenarios. “How can I achieve success within my world and game?” might be a question they have.
One method we’re employing to bolster this endeavor is by providing numerous tutorials on our website, aimed at educating individuals about optimal methods. Our goal is to foster a creative community within our Discord and other platforms, enabling players to exchange successful strategies or those that have proven unsuccessful for their specific activities.
We’re further boosting our efforts by offering a range of creator programs. These programs encompass activities such as contests with challenges, where we encourage the community to develop a specific category of game or a game that fits within a certain genre or meets certain criteria. Additionally, future initiatives like workshops and creative circles at launch are designed to provide personalized mentorship.
At the launch, we will unveil The Creative Circle – a program designed to aid promising creators financially, providing them with opportunities to develop significant player experiences. Beyond financial backing, this initiative offers marketing support, operational assistance, design advice, and constructive feedback. We’ll even playtest their games for them, offering valuable insights not only on game creation but also on running a successful gaming venture.
As an enthusiast, I’m excited to share that we’re planning to offer diverse programs, similar in spirit yet tailored to various fields. For instance, we envision workshops aimed at offering advice on work-life balance, project management, stress management, and more. Our ultimate goal isn’t merely teaching game creation, but nurturing successful developers. We have a wealth of ideas brewing in this direction, with even more expansions on the horizon.
Q: Can you talk about the MapleJam and how it differs from a typical game jam?
We are actively seeking developers from diverse fields for MapleJam. While the dedicated MapleStory fanbase is already familiar with this brand, we aim to broaden our reach to those intrigued by game development and diverse gaming experiences. To achieve this, we’re collaborating with a company renowned for organizing numerous game jams and hackathons across various industries, tapping into their extensive network of developers to encourage them to explore MapleStory Worlds.
As an enthusiast, I’m excited to share a sneak peek of what’s coming next on our journey! In the future, we’re inviting creators to push their boundaries and craft games that align with specific guidelines. These could be single-player adventures, multiplayer escapades, or innovative titles utilizing exclusive assets. Our aim is not just to foster game creation, but also to inspire creativity in the genres and types of games being developed. Essentially, MapleJam’s ultimate goal is to cultivate a diverse collection of games, offering unique experiences and immersive worlds by its conclusion.
Hopefully, some of those creators that join find success and an audience with some of the worlds that they create. Some of them we may even consider for additional support for things like the creative programs or the other sorts of programs that we do. MapleJam specifically is designed to find those people who are interested in MapleStory Worlds and find their audience on MapleStory Worlds, and then use that as a way for us to find talent that we want to support and creators out there and a community out there that we want to support and continue building their success with them.
As a gamer, I’m always on the lookout for MapleJams and workshops. These events happen quite regularly, and they’re usually available fairly often. You can count on finding them pretty consistently.
B: We’re set on offering a variety of engaging activities like challenges, workshops, game jams, and more frequently. Ideally, we aim for monthly game jams and similar events, though the exact frequency might change depending on the year. As part of our learning journey during the soft launch phase, we aim to understand the preferences and expectations of our audience, adjusting our schedule accordingly.
If there’s a demand for us to undertake more frequent challenges and activities, we’re open to adapting and accommodating. Currently, we aim to offer monthly events such as game jams or challenges, but we’re eager to grow and improve this offering based on the feedback we receive from both creators and players.
A: What are your expectations for the outcomes from continued backing of players participating in these initiatives, if we look ahead a year, two years, or even five years into the future?
Our primary objective with MapleStory Worlds and these creative initiatives was to foster a creative and game development community. We aim to attract more individuals to the realm of game development. To help creators thrive independently, we offer constructive criticism on their projects, providing tutorials, one-on-one assistance, feedback on their games, and other resources.
Our aim is for them to gain both victories in their ongoing projects and enhanced knowledge, as well as fostering a strong, collaborative professional bond. This way, they may feel inspired to develop larger, more exceptional games individually. By absorbing key insights we offer through our creative initiatives, they will become accountable, proficient game developers. They’ll learn crucial skills like understanding the intricacies of game development, managing communities, devising revenue strategies, and responding effectively to player feedback. Additionally, we hope they grasp the importance of maintaining their mental health and achieving a healthy work-life balance – essential aspects of being a successful game developer.
Q: With the soft launch in the Americas coming up, if you could say something to the community as they dive in, what kind of advice would you offer them?
One key aspect I’d like people to grasp about MapleStory Worlds is that we’re offering tools and resources that lower the entry barriers for players. Essentially, if you have a creative idea, don’t hesitate to give it a shot! It might not be perfect initially, but with persistence, it could become something great eventually. We encourage creators to dive in, develop your own game, and keep refining it until you achieve success.
You can find something that players can latch on to, and you never know, you can make money off of it. I think that’s really cool, and it’s a really good opportunity for anybody to jump into that game development world with the programs that we have. We want people to take part in those programs and have us help them along their journey.
Q: Do you have any last thoughts you’d like to share?
As a passionate gamer immersed in the world of MapleStory, I can confidently say that our team’s mission is to foster creativity within our gaming community, empowering us to think like game developers and creators. While we certainly express our creativity through the games we develop, we recognize the vast potential for unique experiences beyond our projects.
[END]
MapleStory Worlds soft launches in North America and South America on October 16 for PC.
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2024-10-17 03:06