MapleStory 2’s (MS2) producer posted a letter regarding how Nexon America will be monetizing the game. I really haven’t been covering MS2 because I’ve tried to steer clear of putting any time in any Nexon developed/published titles since they tend to have the same conveniences design (like limited inventory space from the get go), cash shop consumables that provide too much combat advantages, cash shop pets/mounts/cosmetics that enhance character power.
The only Nexon (America) published game I still have on my system is Riders of Icarus. While going through my 2nd and then 3rd stint of the game, I did notice they made bag space expansions at least easier to acquire during early leveling but I still filled that and the server storage fairly quickly with all the consumables the game dropped by the time I hit level 20 (I stopped playing again shortly after this).
I know that I am extremely jaded/skeptical whenever developers/publishers (known for blatant pay-2-win/convenience cash shop designs) come out with a message that they understand the players disdain for pay-to-win (which has morphed into some clever pay-to-convenience designs).
Going on a short tangent, I remember back in 2016 when Kakao (then known as Daum Games) along with the developer (Pearl Abyss) tried convincing players they were removing the blatant P2W aspects from the western release of Black Desert Online. Myself, there were too many signs from the start (with regards to the Pearl Shop which sold items that had bonuses which couldn’t be acquired elsewhere as well as game mechanics that inconvenienced the player just enough with imposed limits where you could “re-acquire” that full functionality again like increasing weight limits as one small example) which threw up the red flag. For serious players, it is easy to spend at minimum, $300 per month to keep up with the latest cash shop mechanics.
Valk’s Cry for example was removed from the NA/EU version because it was a cash shop only item in other regions which increased the enchantment chances (less chance of failures). 2 years later, the item was added back into the NA/EU version (with in-game ways to acquire them but still giving a huge advantage to those who spend money for amounts greater than can be achieved in-game) along with the ability to disenchant cash shop cosmetics into Cron Stones which can then be used to safely enchant (prevents downgrading on failure) to BDO’s highest enchantment tier which is PEN. Thus a credit card swiper can just purchase costumes from the cash shop and blacksmith them for a huge amount of stones to get past the RNG failure rates.
Thus my early decision to not purchase BDO turned out to be a correct choice. It’s not about the low cost of the game (BDO can be gotten for as low as $5 when it goes on sale). It’s about their overall monetization strategy where the entire late game is really designed around imposed limits which a player can reacquire via various cash shop items in order to remain competitive with the other try hards. I prefer not being a part of the problem with helping developers and publishers perpetuating this type of business model especially when it is a buy-to-play one.
Digressing, I was naturally skeptical at the start of this producers letter but my attention wasn’t lost when the letter began with “How will MapleStory 2 make money?” and how they were “working really hard to make MapleStory 2 the right free-to-play game for most people.”
The phrasing was what grabbed/kept my attention since normally, there is an all-encompassing aspect with trying to please everyone (which just won’t happen where players are openly vocal about anything that could be construed as an advantage). Instead, the producer cut to the chase of how they plan to make money (including the need for continual financial support) while knowing not everything will please everyone. They then proceeded on to the details of what they would not sell (items that added stats or consumables that allow brute forcing of content via revival potions) and what they would (focusing around ways to “style up your character”).
The “convenience options” (both in and outside of the cash shop) was then mentioned (which is where some folks will naturally have some issues). My take is it depends on what those item(s) are and that won’t be fully known until the game launches. They were also transparent about the Style Crates (loot boxes) with the percentage chance (1%) of getting an outfit (1 random outfit out of the 100 that will be curated regularly). Yes, I had to pinch myself that this is a posting from Nexon where I hadn’t stopped reading out of disgust. The communication was to the point and trying to be as transparent as possible (sure, I realize Nexon could flip on these later). Still, this is a complete 180-degree from the sheer lack of communication from PLAYWITH Interactive (Warlords Awakening) and also something not as read-between-the-lines like the producers letter from Neowiz for Bless Online.
This game is unsurprisingly a cash grab (the Korean version launched back in 2015) since there are Founder’s packs ranging from $25-$100 as well as 10 days of head start (October 1st). But I’m not putting this into even the same category as Bless Online (see the following). The bulk of what you are purchasing is the games currency (Merets) with a few bucks worth of exclusive virtual goodies (the premium subscription is what ends up being heavily discounted). Where it differs from other cash grabs (like Bless Online) is it isn’t going to be a pump and then dump deal (since this is one of Nexon’s key franchise). So they do have incentives to keep this game going for the long haul. And I’ve knowingly purchased such packs (including the most expensive ones) knowing they were cash grabs (Devilian, MU Legend, TERA Collectors Edition, TERA Console Founders Pack to name a few) before.
The feature that interests me the most though is the player generated content which Nexon has stated will be an important design platform (which yes, can lead to some very troll worthy creations) and its associated Design Shop where the creations of other players can be purchased. Besides costumes, some of this will also include blueprint designs for housing, the ability to create mini-games and custom dungeons. I could never really get into Minecraft or Trove (both have a huge focus on player generated content) because it was too voxel focused in its aesthetics but also because of Trion for the latter.
MS2’s world has a similar design with chibi style characters so its aesthetics isn’t something that normally appeals to me, but I am going to give it a whirl (since I am really interested in the user generated content as well as activities that can be done). After giving it some thought, I am going to go ahead and get a Founder’s Pack for this game since they were already clear there would be cost associated with purchasing templates for the Design Shop (along with listing fees) so it makes sense to take advantage of the packs for the Merets.
With that said, I am not completely sold that Nexon won’t try to pull some fast ones in the future. But this is also interesting territory for me where I am giving Nexon the benefit of the doubt and seeing how well they follow through especially in the first few months after launch.
