MapleStory posts

MapleStory is one of the most popular MMOs, free-to-play or otherwise, to hit the market. It is easily Nexon's biggest hit, even if the cartoony art style and slow gameplay are off-putting to some. This newest trailer for the latest free exapnsion is interesting in that it basically promises a reinvention, but shows no changes whatsoever. It doesn't even show any gameplay footage! Just mentions of darkness, dark wizards (always funny), and art of the Maple World and its inhabitants. Perhaps Nexon realized it's a little hard to portray Maple Story as darker than it actually is via in-game screenshots. After all, it's difficult to be nitty gritty when players are hopping around and slaughtering adorable animals.

Download HD MapleStory 'Big Bang' Trailer
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While the economy is still on shaky ground, the folks at Nexon America are apparently raking in the money from their many free-to-play online games. Last month the company announced that revenues from their games had increased 35 percent compared to the same time period a year ago. Now Gamasutra reports that Nexon America has told them their August revenue numbers were up 32 percent compared to the same time period a year ago.

Unfortunately, Nexon America has chosen not to give specific numbers for those revenue increases nor give out any profit numbers, although Gamasutra notes that Nexon's US sales were recorded as $30 million back in 2007. Nexon America supports a number of Asian-based online games such as MapleStory, Combat Arms, and Mabinogi in the US.

The fantasy MMO MapleStory has 6 million registered users in the US and in July Nexon said they had 70,000 concurrent users play the game at one time. The online FPS Combat Arms has 3 million registered US users and Nexon said they have seen "double digit growth" for the game over the past several months. They have also seen revenues go up for their other fantasy MMO Mabinogi. They are close to officially launching their next game in the US, the online fighting title Dungeon Fighter Online.

For our next first anniversary contest, Big Download has teamed up with Nexon America to offer up 10 free codes that are each worth $25 for use in their many online PC game titles. You can use the money to purchase Nexon Cash. That can be used to buy extra in-game items and services for their games such as their popular first person shooter Combat Arms and their fantasy MMOs MapleStory (which celebrated its own fourth anniversary this month) and Mabinogi. Nexon is also preparing to launch their next major game, the online 2D fighting title Dungeon Fighter Online. That title should launch later this year.

How do you win? As with most of our giveaway contests it's pretty simple:
* To enter, post a comment on this contest page.
* The comment must be left before 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 19.
* You may enter only once.
* 10 winners will be selected in a random drawing.
* Each winner will be sent a code that can be used to purchase Nexon Cash that is used for in-game items and services for Nexon's games (valued at $25 each).
* Click Here for complete Official Rules. You must be a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) who is 18 years or older to enter this contest.
Our huge thanks to Nexon America for the donation of the prizes. Stay tuned as we have even more giveaway contests planned in the next week.

Sadly we have even more game industry layoffs to report today. Both Kotaku and Gamasutra state through unnamed sources that Korean-based online PC game publisher Nexon is shutting down its Vancouver-based development studio. The shutdown leaves 90 people on the team out of work.

The team, which is also known as Humanature Studio, did not release any games during its brief life (although it was helping out with Nexon's Sugar Rush online action game that's being developed by Klei Entertainment and is currently in beta testing). The head of Humanature Studios was Alex Garden who beforehand had founded Relic Entertainment.

The closing of this studio is not expected to affect any of Nexon's currently live games in the US, including their popular free MMO MapleStory and their recently launched free-to-play FPS Combat Arms.

7-Eleven wants to make sure you come get one of their famous Slurpee drinks and to appeal to the gamer crowd they are now offering free codes to in-game items and even a beta test for games handled by the Nexon PC game service.

From now until Dec. 31, people who purchase a 22 oz. Slurpee will receive them in containers with four of Nexon's games, including the recently launched FPS Combat Arms. The containers have codes that can be used for special 7-Eleven and Slurpee-branded in-game items. There are also beta codes to test out the upcoming Nexon title Sugar Rush that will be launched in early 2009.