Posts Tagged ‘maplestory’

Virtual Goods Summit standout – Asian VG Market worth ~$7 billion

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

While last week’s Virtual Goods Summit in San Francisco had a wide range of facts, figures, details, and knowledge shared, the standout from this conference was +8 CEO Benjamin Joffe’s presentation on the Asian virtual goods market, and how it’s achieved a massive $7 billion valuation.

According to Joffe’s research, the nine largest publically traded online gaming companies have a valuation of $52 million. Conversely, the top four North American and European companies in the same group come in $30 million less, at $22 million.

Not only looking at just the numbers, Joffe went on to put a bit of history and development behind the figured. As duly noted, the virtual goods market and business model had it’s beginnings in Asia, primarily as a way to ward off game piracy. Recognizing the potential in the market, South Korea’s Nexon was one of the very first on the scene with virtual goods sales. 92 million registered users later, Nexon’s MapleStory is still generating revenues through virtual goods sales. Just a bit further to the north China’s Tencent is looking at $1.5 – $2 billion in sales from it’s popular QQ chat service which features a heavy online gaming influence. The bulk of these revenues are derived from virtual goods sales. According to Joffe, China’s total market could top $5 billion in revenue this year alone. Likewise, the lesser heard of Japanese virtual goods market shouldn’t be underestimated. Raking in over $1 billion a year, Japan’s top three social networks monetize manly through mobile games and their associated services. Perhaps one of the more extreme examples in the Japanese virtual goods marketplace, due to their rarity, Joffe reports that some virtual items have a real world market value of over $1,000, however, again, this is in extremely rare cases.

Joffe’s 127 slide powerpoint presentation from the Virtual Goods Summit:

Virtual Goods in Asia

View more documents from Benjamin Joffe.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

Nexon’s Min Kim on tap to deliver Keynote at GDC China

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

One of the best known, and most experienced individuals in the free-to-play video games industry, Nexon’s Min Kim is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the 2009 Game Developers Conference China. The GDC China, presented by Think Services will take place at the Shanghai International Convention Center, this October 11th-13th.

min-kimKim’s address, titled “A Fantastic Westward Journey,” is slated to be filled with colorful anecdotes and words of advice to Chinese developers in regards to Nexon’s experiences in bringing popular Korean titles, as well as the free-to-play business model that has long been associated with the genre. Kim will also focus on how microtransactions were born in Asia, and for a long time, were thriving only in this market. Not so much today. He’ll talk about how this successful business model initially received a cold shoulder in the North American and European markets, but has today become a revolutionary catalyst in these markets, citing specific examples from Nexon’s breakthrough hit, the MapleStory franchise. Keep in mind that Nexon’s MapleStory is a very strong candidate in the free-to-play benchmark category, with over 92 million users worldwide, 6 million of which reside in North America.

“Min Kim will be an exceptional and inspirational keynote speaker for China,” said Meggan Scavio, GDC China event director. “Nexon’s success is proof that there is a market beyond Asia for these types of non-hardcore MMOs. Moreover, the game industry has been taken by storm with Nexon’s microtransaction business model. The Chinese audience stands to gain a tremendous account of firsthand knowledge, anecdotes and advice from Kim to take back to their companies and studios.”

And while most of us primarily know Nexon and Kim from the MapleStory franchise, Nexon was hard at work years before MapleStory’s success. The company is responsible for developing the world first internet quiz game, QPlay, and in 2004 they set a world record with 700,000 concurrent users playing Crazy Arcade BnB. In addition to MapleStory, Nexon is also the firm that developed KartRider, a title that approximately 30 percent of all South Koreans have played at one time or another.

Moving forward, Nexon is in the midst of a portal and marketing revamp that will presented under BlockParty.com. This new portal will feature a total of eight titles on US shores by the end of 2010 which will include Dungeon Fighter Online and Dragon Nest.

Assuming that Min will discuss Nexon’s entire timeline, there’s bound to be many a valuable lesson, and hopefully some highlights and reasoning behind the new revamp of Nexon’s portal offerings. Stay tuned, as the GDC China is just around the corner, and if Austin was any indication of the plethora of gaming industry news covered at the GDC conferences, the China conference might just yield a number of free-to-play/microtransactions supported games highlights.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 
 

MapleStory celebrates 4th year

Friday, May 8th, 2009

In celebration of their upcoming 4th birthday, Nexon America is rolling out the red carpet for loyal fans of one of the very first free-to-play, microtransaction monetized games.  Launched on May 11, 2005, MapleStory quickly became an online legend with it’s groundbreaking social features, unique art style, open world opportunities, and again, unique and innovate method of play vs. monetization.  Worldwide, MapleStory counts over 92 million users, 6 million of whom reside in the US.

But to MapleStory players, it’s not just a game.  It’s gone far beyond just a 2D side scrolling virtual world/game.  One might even say there might be a cult of ‘Story going on, as fans of the game have solidified the title’s place in gaming history through countless blogs, fanboy (and girl) community sites, and videos.  A quick pass through YouTube reveals close to 200,000 video results.

“After four years of service in North America, MapleStory continues to evolve and surprise us all. We are very grateful to our loyal fans and this celebration is for them,” said Min Kim, Nexon America’s Vice President of Marketing. “MapleStory fans have helped create something special and we’re going to reward them with new, exciting content to enjoy throughout the summer and beyond.”

And reward Nexon will.  The new birthday goodies looks like so:

  • Fourth Anniversary Maple Weapons – Monsters will be dropping special anniversary weapons. Or the players can exchange previous anniversary weapons and Maple Leaves for new Fourth Anniversary Weapons, Maple Hats, Maple Shields, Maple Earrings, or Fourth Anniversary Scrolls.
  • Item Upgrades – Maple Hat and Maple Earrings obtained through monsters are upgradable using Maple Leaves. The earrings can be upgraded by completing additional quests.
  • Leveling Up Event – Each time players levels up, they will receive Maple Leaves. The number of Maple Leaves rewarded will vary depending on the level. Higher level players will receive more Maple Leaves.
  • GM Events – The GMs will run special events and summon last year’s anniversary boss, Big Puff Daddy, at random times.
  • Monster Transformations – Any player can transform into one of MapleStory’s monsters for a given period of time.
  • 4 Candle Event – Nexon is giving away 1,200 prizes over 40 days, including in-game items, Nexon Game Cards, digital cameras, iPod Touch and a laptop computer. Players who play for 40 minutes will receive a candle. Once a player has a candle, they can receive up to four pieces of cake for each successive 40 minutes of game play. Players who get four pieces of the cake will have a chance to win.
  • Maple Quiz – Players can take the Maple Quiz. For every question a player gets right, five Maple Leaves and a special cake will be rewarded.

In addition to this content, Nexon has a whole slate of daily events planned.

So if you’ve never given MapleStory a try, or were just looking for the right moment to jump back on the train that started it all, look no further.  MapleStory – a story of how one game could change the entire way we look at the gaming industry.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

Grab your gear soldier – Combat Arms set to storm Europe

Monday, December 15th, 2008

Not just for our trigger pulling friends on the other side of the pond, Nexon’s newest runaway hit: Combat Arms is set to go live tomorrow, December 16th all across Europe.

As we reported back in September, Nexon started European testing with a closed beta back that ran from late October through earlier November, with great success.  Building upon this success, Nexon is going in guns blazing and live as of tomorrow morning.  The new open-beta version of the FPS shooter/team tactics game features a number of new maps, a new One-Man-Army game mode, along with an extended arsenal including new gears and weapons.  The launch will also feature an introductory event that will encourage players to show off their skills on the scope and reward top soldiers with top prizes.

Combat Arms is the newest free-to-play, microtransaction supported title from Korean pioneers, Nexon.  Their rise to fame came via MapleStory, but Combat Arms takes a decided turn and is geared towards fans of the first person shooter genre.  Players experience non-stop battle action in various terrain scenarios and are recruited to battle enemies in multiple game modes.  Retaining all the classic elements of a traditional FPS, Combat Arms ups the ante by providing players with a unique backpack system (similar but not identical to an MMO type backpack) which allows players to carry and combine various attributes of weapons for a customized gaming experience.  For example, attaching a long range scope might be handy while perched on a building top, but an extended magazine might come in quite handy for close room to room combat.

“The FPS genre is traditionally an area for hardcore gamers with a steep learning curve, but Combat Arms takes it to another level, offering a low barrier of entry with its free-to-play offering and low system requirements,” says Sung-Jin Kim, Manager of Europe Business Team at Nexon.

While the game is quick and easy to pick up, don’t be mislead by Kim’s statement, Combat Arms serves up more fast paced action that a rainspout in a downpour.  With, what I can only imagine, true to life action and combat scenarios, Combat Arms will keep you on your toes, and coming back for more.

An in game currency and experience points are rewarded after victories and kills, and contribute to a leveling system.  This in game currency may then be spent on character customization including additional weapons, scopes, silencers, and extended magazines.  Obviously, with a free-to-play title, for a small real money transaction, players can purchase addition in game cash for further customizations.

So here we go Europe: Combat Arms arrives just in time to work out some of that holiday season frustration with your best friends on the field of battle.  And the price alone, is enough to keep any Christmas shopper happy.  Good night and good luck soldiers; see you on the battlefield tomorrow!

Visit Combat Arms Europe at: combatarms.nexoneu.com

Related articles

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

Nexon and 7-Eleven cross promote with in-game items and beta key giveaways

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Free-to-play giant Nexon and fructose corn syrup magnet 7-Eleven have been working together for almost a year now via selling Nexon pre-paid cards at a number of the highly popular convenience stores.  Things just got a bit more interesting this past Monday, when Nexon and 7-Eleven unveiled an in-game Slurpee/game code cross promotion.

Titled “Where U Play For Free!”, the cross promotion features Slurpee cups that feature graphics from Nexon’s popular titles; MapleStory, Mabinogi, Combat Arms, and the upcoming Sugar Rush.  Partakers of über sugared icy goodness will receive a Nexon game DVD when ordering up a 22-oz. or larger Slurpee, including all 4 games featured on the specially branded cups.

Ok, so far so good…7-Eleven is promoting Nexon via a free-to-play game giveaway, but what’s in it for 7-Eleven?  Ah ha! Glad you asked.  Here’s where things get really interesting.  Each Nexon branded Slurpee cup has an exclusive game code that may be entered in any one of Nexon’s titles to redeem custom 7-Eleven branded in-game gear.  Mabinogi features 20 in-game Slurpees that recover 100 HP each.  The MapleStory code will provide double XP for 90 Minutes, and the Combat Arms code will provide players with a 7-Eleven Cap and Supply Case that contains a free weapon.  If this isn’t brilliant enough, the game code ALSO provides 7-Eleven customers the opportunity to participate in the closed beat of Sugar Rush.  That’s a heckuva cool way to get in on a beta that’s scheduled for an early ’09 release.

“We’ve seen great success with the Nexon pre-paid cash cards and this partnership further solidifies 7-Eleven as a premier gaming destination,” said Brad Haga, 7-Eleven’s senior product director of services. “Free-to-play games are more popular than ever in North America, and with Nexon, we can deliver a dynamic experience for our customers looking for great entertainment.”

Now let’s take a step back to have a better look at what’s going on here.  Nexon has been leading the free-to-play charge in North America for quite a while now, and has obviously made great headway.  A strategic partnership with a non-game related brick and mortar store has been a brilliant move.  At a shop where you might stop to pick up some milk on the way home, grab a quick bite on the go, or quench your thirst (I might even have a reason to buy a Slurpee now), why not pick up a pre-paid game card to fuel your free-to-play compulsion?  Great move in itself.

Now add the branded cups, in-game virtual item redemption codes, including access to a closed beta, and in-game branded merchandise?  Someone slap me and wake me up, as this has got to be one of the best moves of the year.  If this campaign is even remotely successful, I could imagine retailers lining up around the block to get their message branded in in-game virtual items.  Racing game?  Great.  How about redeeming an Exxon cap after purchasing $20 of gas or more?  Exxon could then sell pre-paid gaming cards right next to those pre-paid phone cards.

The Nexon/7-Eleven cross promotion is a stellar example of how virtual worlds, and their associated real world marketing and advertising opportunities are becoming more and more visible and valuable to the entire business.  Do I want to see every mom and pop joint with a redeemable in-game code?  No.  Do I want to see great forays into realizing and recognizing the real-world financial possibilities for the sale, trade, and consumption of virtual world items and services? Absolutely!

Related articles

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

EA’s Battlefield Heroes will be a phenomenon

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

The numbers don’t lie.  The free to play, microtransaction based gaming business model works.  It not only works, but it’s making lots and lots of people lots and lots of money.  The North American market has been less than speedy in accepting this form of play.

Nexon entered the market first, and brought titles like Kart Rider and Maplestory to an audience that had never experienced this form of play.  So when big guns EA went out on the ledge and said, “Hey…we’re going to build a top notch game, able to hold it’s own at any shooter table, oh…and it’ll be free to play,” the reception was a bit lukewarm.  Granted, this has to do with the title not actually being ‘out’ on the market yet, but as momentum begins to grow, I’ve personally noticed more and more ‘w00t!  can’t wait to get my hands on this!’ comments springing up across the myriad of sites I cover each day.

Now I’m not about to put myself in the same category as David Perry, but it seems that we’re thinking the same thing on this one.  Perry recently sat down with GamesIndustry.biz and let the fan flag fly.  “I think Battlefield Heroes is going to be a huge hit, it’s going to be a bit of a phenomenon.  I have incredible faith that EA is going to pull this off.”  Perry continued, believing that most people are underestimating the project.   “For them to actually make that announcement was huge, I thought that was one of the biggest statements that EA has made in years and it just went over people’s heads.”

Building upon this, Perry noted that EA is still at heart, a retail company.  The make games, produce them, put them in pretty boxes and ship them off to retailers to them put their tax on, and pass along to the consumer.  Announcing a free-to-play, download it if you like game is not a great relationship builder with said retail outlets.  EA has already invested in the Korean market and The9 in China, but keeping it under the radar.  Battlefield Heroes is in fact, NOT EA’s first free-to-play, but rather the one that most North Americans have heard of.  EA built FIFA Online as a free MMO.  A smart move to test the international waters, as most North Americans favor their football involving a brown pigskin and not the round black and white ball the rest of the world sees as a football.

When asked about the free-to-play model itself, Perry said that the model actually allows for the potential of even more revenue generated compared to the traditional model.  “It’s a whole different world you enter when you get into free-to-play, it’s like the industry that we’ve all been missing and the second thing we’ve been missing is the idea of letting people pay what they want,” he explained.

“I’ve made so many games and we never, ever had the idea that people would pay more than the price of the game for the game, no one would pay over $60 if it’s a $60 game. On our 2Moons game, you’ve got people that spend $3,000 happily, and if we had more stuff for them to buy, they would buy it.”

As a point of comparison, most retail games sell for around $60, while Acclaim’s free to play games average a $75 take/person/game.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »

 

ROSE Online goes free to play

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

GravityInteractive’s popular Korean Developed MMO ROSE Online will be switching to a free to play model starting July 29th.

Since 2005 ROSE Online has been available via an $11.99/month subscription fee.  Direct from the ROSE Online news page:

Rose Online has been a part of the Gravity family suite of game titles for several years now. We are going to update ROSE’s subscription model to attract more users than ever before.

On July 29 we will be turning the servers over to Free to Play where all accounts in good standing may log in.

On July 15 we have removed the subscription page from the Website. From July 15 through July 29 new subscriptions creation will be unavailable.

It is advised that all Players who utilize the paypal re-occurring subscription model, login to paypal and cancel the re-occurring payment. We will automatically be canceling all remaining re-occurring payments (to not re-occur), around the 22nd.

Any Remaining Subscription time will be credited 60 Mileage points per day (1800/month) that is left of the current subscription Figured from the beginning of the Tuesday maintenance, 10am PDT July 29, 2008.

If you have friends that want to play ROSE but were concerned with the subscription cost now is a great time to invite them to join you on your adventure!

This will be a bright new beginning for ROSE online, come and join us!
Thank you,
Gravity Interactive, Inc.

Given that ROSE will be issuing in game currency credits for remaining subscription time, they’re clearly moving towards not only a free to play model, but a micro transaction one as well.  If they’re going with a micro transaction based model, who programmed the transaction module, and did the game development suffer?  We’re wondering if GravityInteractive is watching the growing trend, and taking cues from Nexon’s popular MapleStory and Kartrider along with their most recent addition: Combat Arms?  It would be the right time to test the waters of free to play micro transaction based titles, with not only Nexon blazing the path, but industry titans like EA dipping their toes in the micro transaction pool with Battlefield Heroes.


Zemanta Pixie

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in industry news | No Comments »