Tencent, a Chinese language know-how and holding firm with a world footprint, is reportedly exploring the potential of buying sport developer and writer Nexon.Representatives from the tech firm contacted the household of Nexon founder Kim Jung-ju to discover a possible deal, however no concrete phrases have been reached and a deal will not be assured, in response to Bloomberg.Nexon is the South Korean online game developer behind the MapleStory sequence, a massively multiplayer on-line role-playing sport (MMORPG) that first gained reputation within the early 2000s as a conventional PC sport.Web3 gaming continues to be a carefully watched use case for blockchain know-how as the flexibility to present gamers possession over in-game property may create a wholly new asset class and create tens of billions of {dollars} in capital.MapleStory gameplay. Supply: MapleStoryThe firm built-in blockchain know-how in two completely different installments of the sequence, MapleStory N and MapleStory Universe, in Might 2025, permitting customers to gather in-game objects and rewards within the type of non-fungible tokens (NFTS).Associated: MapleStory revives Avalanche, tops 1M every day transactions twice in a weekInterest in Web3 gaming surges, however nonetheless removed from mainstreamAccording to a February 2025 report from DappRadar, blockchain gaming exercise surged by roughly 368% year-over-year in January 2025, pushed by video games like Off The Grid and the then-upcoming MapleStory N.Off The Grid is a AAA shooter, revealed by Gunzilla Video games, that options console-level graphics and gameplay just like that of conventional online game blockbusters produced by main sport studios.This represented a major departure from conventional Web3 video games that usually function easy gameplay mechanics, cartoonish graphics, and a concentrate on participant rewards moderately than sturdy gameplay.Regardless of the preliminary spike in participant curiosity that began in late 2024, Web3 gaming exercise declined by 10%, mirrored by a drop in every day distinctive lively wallets, in response to DappRadar.Whereas the crypto gaming sector stays wholesome and titles corresponding to MapleStory and Off The Grid mirror a shift to higher-quality video games targeted on participant expertise, Web3 gaming nonetheless faces a number of headwinds.Chief amongst these impediments to widespread Web3 gaming adoption are the technical barrier to entry of establishing a blockchain pockets and the normal gaming group’s aversion to play-to-earn video games and different ways designed to fuse gaming and cash.Journal: Can Off the Grid survive Steam’s crypto ban? Rage over Maplestory cheaters: Web3 Gamer
