The hacker problem in MapleStory Universe is getting worse, with execs issuing apologies to players for how it’s been handled so far.
MapleStory Universe head of strategy Keith Kim said there’s been an “aggressive” spike in attempts to exploit the game, mostly involving exploiting character skills and network tampering.
“These are not isolated incidents. They compromise the experience for everyone.”
Popular gamer Predtz claimed in a video that hackers are using external software to make “low-level characters” artificially more powerful to defeat the “high-level bosses” in the game and extract more $NPXC rewards.
This breaks the intended game balance and exploits the in-game economy, which is more concerning in blockchain games where rewards have real-world value, Predtz said.
Gaming commentator Dmoneygames said that because hackers have been exploiting the bonus reward events, he’s now spending a lot of time just trying to find channels that aren’t overrun by them.
“I finally found a channel without a hacker, but a hacker could appear at any second now to take advantage of the bonus XC that is going on right now,” Dmoneygames said in the video.
The game’s executive producer, Sunyoung Hwang, admits there hasn’t been enough communication over how they planned to address the feedback.
“We haven’t communicated in the way this community deserves — not actively enough, not in both directions. That’s on us, and we sincerely apologize,” Hwang said.
However, Hwang claimed that no one has been able to cheat in a way that has seriously messed up the game’s economy or caused a market crash. “To be clear, there have been no unchecked exploits that led to systemic reward inflation or market-wide sell pressure,” Hwang said.
However, Gamer Yoked claimed the recent hacking saga has “completely flooded the market.”
“Late game items dropped in value,” he explained, adding that “nobody wants to buy gear when prices are guaranteed to keep falling.”
One gamer responded to Hwang, saying, “We don’t just want empty promises.”
To fight back, the developers upgraded the game’s skill validation system to detect suspicious behavior, especially in the early levels of the game, where abuse has spiked.
“This system now detects abnormal skill behavior and distorted network environments, with coverage extended to both boss content and early-level play, where abuse has become more frequent,” he said.
Kim expects the cheaters to keep coming, but says the dev team is ready to respond quickly and stay ahead.
A spokesperson for MapleStory Universe tells Magazine that the team “is taking this issue seriously and fully acknowledges its impact on player trust and the integrity of the in-game ecosystem.”
“In response, we have taken swift action to reinforce our systems through a multi-layered approach. This includes placing permanent access bans on more than 20,000 accounts per day involved in malicious activity, and enforcing additional limitations to disrupt exploit patterns,” the spokesperson says.
Tokyo Beast explodes in Japan, Immutable set to expand there
Futuristic combat auto-battler game Tokyo Beast has exploded in Japan, becoming the No. 1 free game on the Japanese App Store — and Web3 gaming giant Immutable is already planning to double down in the region.
“Japan has always been a global powerhouse in gaming,” Immutable co-founder Robbie Ferguson tells Magazine, adding that the Japanese gaming market’s strong response to Tokyo Beast signals that Japan has a demand for digital ownership in games.
After launching on June 12, the game racked up over 300,000 downloads in just 48 hours.
Ferguson says it is “a clear indicator that Web3 gaming can achieve mainstream success in one of the most influential gaming markets in the world.”
The surge in popularity comes just three months after Immutable announced it would be bringing Tokyo Beast onchain as part of a push to tap into Japan’s massive — but still relatively untapped — gaming market.
The game joined Immutable’s platform earlier this year and integrated with the Immutable Passport, which serves as a non-custodial wallet, gamer profile and authentication solution for users.
Ferguson says that Japan has the highest average spend per user and calls it an “incredibly important market,” which Immutable is now focusing on.
He says it is one of their most active hubs, and Immutable is “definitely continuing to expand there.”
In February, Ferguson pointed out that Japan’s $27.4 billion gaming market has yet to fully embrace Web3. However, several Japanese gaming companies have already shown interest in Web3, including Square Enix, Bandai Namco, and Capcom.
Hot Take: FIFA Rivals
As a die-hard football (soccer) fan, I was pumped when Mythical Games’ mobile-based FIFA Rivals dropped. I really enjoyed Mythical Games’ NFL Rivals, even though I’ve never watched an NFL game or knew anything about “that type” of football.
I even cleared out space on my phone for FIFA Rivals — RIP random apps I never used — just to download the 1.5 gigabyte Polkadot-based Mythos chain game.
At first, the game didn’t win me over; in fact, it was frustrating.
The moment the mandatory tutorial started, I knew something felt off. Instead of classic on-screen controls, I had to draw squiggly lines and tap players to get them to do anything.
Tapping. Players. To tackle?
As much as I love football games, this felt more like a touchscreen puzzle than the “EA Sports” FIFA titles I grew up playing.
But I’ll be the first to admit — this is a case of boomers/millennials being cranky at change.
Once I got a bit more practice at the controls (they still feel a bit jarring), it actually turned out to be a fun and addictive game to play.
There’s something oddly satisfying about watching a high ball float into the striker’s box, then sliding your finger across the screen and watching it hit the back of the net.
One of my favorite plays in the game is pretending I’m David Beckham and doing a quick little swiggle on the screen to curl the ball into the top corner of the net.
The game has impressive graphics and a unique super boost feature, which gives players access to special powers such as turbocharged kicks, tackles and sprinting.
The crowd chanting and the over-the-top tackle sounds make the whole game way more exciting too.
Best of all, you don’t need to pay or buy expensive NFTs to start playing. That said, players can purchase NFTs to bolster their gameplay experience, from NFT boots that increase the player’s stats to NFT balls that give your team the kickoff advantage.
Overall, if you’re a football fan like me, it’s definitely worth adding to your mobile game portfolio. It’s great for a casual pick-up game here and there — and if you want to go sweaty, you can also build your dream team, compete online against other players and level up in a career-mode style.
Reddit users are tossing around the idea that FIFA Rivals may be the title that brings blockchain gaming mainstream. User jclaslie said, “I am honestly pleasantly surprised with the gameplay.” Absurdcriminality said, “There is so much potential, not just because of the gameplay, but because soccer is a much more popular sport than the NFL worldwide.”
DatFoon said, “Surely this will be the one to push blockchain gaming into the mainstream.”
Other News
— Fast-paced hero shooter game, The Machines Arena, has released a new preview trailer in what it claims to be its “biggest” update yet.
— NFT marketplace Magic Eden has teamed up with Web3 developer platform Sequence to streamline the experience for Web3 gaming and NFT developers. “Whether you’re focused on distribution, monetization, or interoperability, now you get it all in one seamless, integrated solution,” Sequence said in a recent blog post.
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Read moreMapleStory apologizes for cheaters, Tokyo Beast blows up in Japan, FIFA Rivals: Web3 Gamer