Josh Strife Hayes is one of the biggest YouTubers when it comes to the topic of MMORPGs. In a new video, the experienced player explains why there has been no assessment of a 21-year-old online role-playing game on his channels so far.
Which MMORPG is it about? MapleStory has already been around for more than 21 years, having had its first release in its home country South Korea back in April 2003. Since August 2012, you can also experience the 2D MMORPG from Nexon via Steam.
In a video from December 9, 2024, the well-known YouTuber Josh Strife Hayes (900,000+ subscribers alone on the main channel, via YouTube) explains that he actually received a commission from an agency to produce a video on MapleStory. This video is also finished (and according to Hayes, really good) but will probably never go live.
The only trailer for MapleStory that we have in the system:
The trust of the audience is a currency
What is the reason for this? On YouTube, the content creator explains how the commission came about and what happened next:
- For Josh Strife Hayes, the trust of the viewers is a currency that must be painstakingly built up and can be lost much more quickly. Therefore, it is also important to him that he can express his honest opinion freely in sponsored videos, even if the game in question doesn’t come out too well.
- When an agency representing Nexon approached Hayes to book a review video for MapleStory, he immediately explained that this could only be realized as part of his “Worst MMO Ever?” video series (via YouTube) and that they would effectively be paying for their own episode in that series.
- The agency stated that this was not possible. They wanted to pay Hayes for a as positive review as possible. The YouTuber then explained that he could not accommodate such a video on his channels. The agency relented, but requested a preview version of the video for approval.
- Josh Strife Hayes therefore made a fair and entertaining video about MapleStory for his “Worst MMO Ever?” series, in which he also praised some areas of the game, and sent it to the agency for approval.
- The agency’s response: The YouTuber played the game incorrectly as he first focused on the Kain story, which is available to all newcomers but not actually intended for beginners.
- The agency’s subsequent request, according to Hayes: to start a second run that better reflects the newcomers’ experience, pretending it was their first contact with MapleStory.
- Josh Strife Hayes then referred to a clause in the contract which states that he should not be forced into anything that could undermine his integrity. That would indeed be the case if he pretended something for the video that was not true.
- The agency then stated that they would not pay for the video. When Hayes asked if he could publish the video unpaid (after all, he was proud of it), the agency referred to another clause stating that any content created for this commission automatically belongs to the agency or Nexon. In other words: Hayes would face a lawsuit.
You can watch the approximately twelve-minute video here:
Since the YouTuber does not want to go to court with a globally operating corporation like Nexon, he has refrained from publishing the actually finished video until today.
His lesson from this story: Whenever a company approaches him for a sponsored video, he makes it clear from the beginning that he will only produce the video without outside influence and that he will also be paid for the work if the client’s game does poorly, but the criticism is fair.
Not surprisingly, since then only a few clients have collaborated with Hayes. He cites Jagex (RuneScape) and ArenaNet (Guild Wars 2) as positive examples, who obviously have enough confidence in their own product.
How does the community react to the video? MapleStory evidently enjoys a certain reputation among many players.
- DavidJohnson-fc9bn explains on YouTube: “What a shock that the game which literally spent years lying openly about its own gacha rates does not recognize the value of an honest review.”
- mattw6705 wonders on YouTube: “How stupid to give players options and then say: – Oh, you shouldn’t play that way! – What a joke.”
- Zflayre knows MapleStory well (via YouTube): “The lack of integrity from Nexon and their many scandals, along with their general disdain for their own player base is so outrageous that most people have left the regular server […].”
- Kastanja92 had a bad experience with Nexon (via YouTube): “I remember the time I played MapleStory and they sold a double XP ticket in the cash store for a cheaper price than usual. […]. After I bought it and used it for a while, Nexon suddenly deleted it and I never received a refund. When I complained, they just told me that they could do whatever they wanted according to the TOS. Disgusting.”
Did you know? The streamer Josh Strife Hayes makes sure that planes fly in Brazil with his videos. Because without the videos, it wouldn’t continue. The whole story can be found here: An MMO professional is responsible for planes flying in Brazil
