Nexspace announced the launch of Season 2 of the MapleStory Vibe Camp, running until September 15. This season will focus on user retention, replayability, and game control mechanics, aligning with the short-form game trend.
The MapleStory Vibe Camp is a competition that allows anyone to create and enjoy games using official intellectual property (IP) resources from MapleStory and artificial intelligence (AI) development tools.
This camp will take place in the 'MSU Space,' a dedicated area developed in collaboration with the AI-based game creation platform, Burst Eight.
The Vibe Camp was initiated to celebrate the first anniversary of the MapleStory Universe service. As AI technology lowers the barriers to game creation through coding, the competition enables users to freely develop using MapleStory's skills, characters, animations, world systems, and sound elements.
In Season 1, held in June, 693 games were submitted within three weeks. According to the company, approximately 340,000 official assets were utilized, and over 88,000 game plays were recorded.
Season 2 will recruit builders to create games that provide high immersion in short play sessions. In contrast, Season 1 focused on genre diversity within the platform.
Nexspace has outlined three game design criteria: Short, Simple, and Tense. The aim is to support the development of games with short play sessions of 1-2 minutes, immediate retry structures, and intuitive mechanics that can be understood within three seconds without lengthy tutorials or explanations, emphasizing real-time arcade elements where player skill influences outcomes.
Additionally, Season 2 will introduce the 'AI Brainstorming Persona,' an evolution from simple command-based code generation. Builders can start without ideas and develop game concepts through dialogue with AI.
The AI will review game play structures, suggest variations of new mechanics, and provide active feedback on builders' ideas. A key aspect of this process is to ensure that the MapleStory universe, characters, and official assets are seamlessly integrated into the games.
The total prize pool is $15,000, awarded in NXPC tokens. Various categories will be recognized, including official selections, overall excellence, category-specific awards, and a community favorite award. A special award, the 'Golden Zeng Award,' will be given to works showcasing innovative and unique gameplay.
Hwang Sun-young, CEO of Nexspace, stated, "While Season 1 proved that anyone can create games using the MapleStory IP, Season 2 will be a challenge to demonstrate how much we can enhance the quality of these games." He added, "We will support builders in implementing rich narratives, deep worlds, and expanded gaming experiences that are often overlooked in fast-paced games, combining intuitive AI tools with over 20 years of MapleStory's value."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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