MapleStory Serves One Million In-Game Shoppers In 2010

Online game publisher Nexon America announced that more than one million players have made microtransaction purchases in its free-to-play MMORPG MapleStory this year. To celebrate the milestone, Nexon America is rewarding past shoppers with free in-game currency. The publisher also notes that it's launching "Big Bang" -- a series of major content updates revamping the game world, adding new classes, updating the user interface and revealing a new storyline -- in January. MapleStory players can purchase virtual clothes, hair, pets, weapons, and other items using the MMORPG's in-game Mesos currency or NX Cash, which is bought with real money and can also be used in the publisher's other releases. "We would like to congratulate all of our players for paving the way for an entirely new way of playing games," says Nexon America's Marketing VP Min Kim. "When Nexon began servicing MapleStory in North America, we were told that only a few hardcore gamers would ever do microtransactions. This milestone proves that the potential of virtual goods was grossly underestimated." "People have been doing microtransactions for years, whether it was popping quarters into arcade machines, trading baseball or Pokemon cards or buying music on online," he continued. "MapleStory’s million shopper milestone reinforces that playing online games and buying virtual items has become part of everyday life for players and is a proven, successful way of doing business.” Launched in 2005, the 2D side-scrolling title has over seven million registered players in North America alone. The title accounts for more than half of Nexon America's total audience of 12 million users, which is spread out across MapleStory and other free-to-play titles including Combat Arms, Dungeon Fighter Online, and Mabinogi.