How did the release of maple stroy mesos by Wizet prior to Nexon's move into the market affect its re-launch?

To be precise, Wizet is not a third-party company but a part of the larger Nexon corporate family. So, when Nexon America took over the ongoing localization and operation of maple stroy mesos in North America, it was not really a re-launch of the game. As we are both part of one corporate identity, as well in continuous close contact in operating MapleStory, it was 1) a cosmetic change from Wizet to Nexon, 2) a boost in development support, and 3) increased financial support.

The players found the service better because Nexon dedicated more resources and gradually moved the operations to the US in 2006. They are getting more customer support, stability in the service, better localization, and more content. As proof of the seamlessness of the hand-over, our numbers have continued the steady increase we’ve seen since day one.

What has the reception to the game been since its Western launch?

The reception to maple stroy mesos  has been great, which has been reflected in the game’s registrations and success of our business model.

The registration numbers have been climbing since we launched. Prior to any significant marketing, maple stroy mesos registered close to 2 million users in North America. This tells us there is a serious market for Nexon’s gaming experience, which is expanding daily as people spend increasingly more time online.

For many users, maple stroy mesos is much more than a game. MySpace, cell phones, email, chat: today’s teens and adults are finding added ways to interact. Online games like maple stroy mesos give people a place to virtually gather, which has had a viral effect as players bring more and more friends to their virtual hangout.

One of the early challenges for Nexon was billing. maple stroy mesos is free to play, and all revenue is generated through item sales. The items are one of MapleStory’s most unique features as they allow players to create truly distinctive avatars. However, at the outset with PayPal being the only payment vehicle, the good majority of our user base (teens to early twenties) could not purchase our virtual currency, Nexon Cash. This issue has been ameliorated by the release of our prepaid cards at all Target outlets nationwide. The cards have been flying off the shelves, and we have had several reports of stores with no stock several days after the initial release on January 16th, 2007.