My-MMO had the opportunity to talk with Producer Hyun Joo Kim about the MMORPG Maple Story, which has been popular worldwide for over 13 years.
My-MMO: Maple Story is unique due to its 2D side-scrolling perspective. It is also one of the most successful games in the western market. How important is this western market for you?
Hyun Joo Kim: In one word: very. The game was a success in Asia, but the western market was just a big question mark for us when we launched the international service in 2005.
In the 11 years since then, many games have come and gone, but Maple Story stands strong and is still very popular. The majority of our players come from the USA and also from Europe, as we merged both services this year. We made this decision to provide new content faster for all western players simultaneously. We want to continuously improve the Maple Story experience for western players.
Maple Story. Many adjustments needed for western market
My-MMO: Was there anything that you had to adjust in the game to ensure success in the western market?
Hyun Joo Kim: Many things had to be adjusted, and we still make adjustments with each patch. This includes, for example, the drop rates of items to balance the item shop. We have invested a lot of time studying player behavior. Their wishes do not exactly match those of Asian players.
Therefore, the updates that we implement in western countries also cater to the needs of the players there. Additionally, we place a high value on good localization of texts. We do not simply translate the original texts; we localize them to ensure they fit into western culture.
This is not always easy, as some texts contain Korean jokes that do not translate well. But this is exactly where our localization team excels, ensuring that all our texts make sense and carry the necessary humor.
My-MMO: Tell us a bit about the history of the game. When and where was the design developed, and how has it changed over the years?
Hyun Joo Kim: The game started in 2003, first in Korea. We didn’t expect the success at all, but it led to the international service. The service in Korea still determines the main content and design of Maple Story, but each region has its own service that ensures the game is special and unique for the respective players.
Maple Story receives an update almost every month, and you can imagine how big the game has become over the years. It will be hard to have nothing to do in the game.
Why are there not more games like Maple Story?
My-MMO: How do fans react to changes in the game? Is it difficult to satisfy everyone?
Hyun Joo Kim: It is impossible to satisfy everyone. Everyone simply has a different opinion. Therefore, we want to deliver what the masses want, as long as it doesn’t harm game balance, economy, and longevity. Our biggest updates, like V or Big Bang from 2010, included changes that players wanted.
My-MMO: Although Maple Story is very successful, there are hardly any games that offer this gameplay. Why is that?
Hyun Joo Kim: There is only one Maple Story. No copy is as good as the original.
2017 will see one of the hardest bosses in Maple Story’s history
My-MMO: What can you tell us about the future of Maple Story? Are there any plans you can share with our readers?
Hyun Joo Kim: As part of the big V update, we will introduce the long-awaited boss enemy Lucid – Master of Nightmares in January, which will be one of the hardest bosses in Maple Story’s history. In addition, we have much more to announce for 2017!
My-MMO: Thank you very much for the interview!
More articles about Maple Story:
Maple Story: Side-Scrolling MMO has cost players 17,800 years of their lives
