Maple Story DS - more details

- the team that developed the DS version is different from the PC version
- Korean and Japanese arms of Nintendo helped develop the title
- 30-40 hours of gameplay
- 4 separate stories to play through
- unlock new features when completing the game
- collect coupons to use in the PC version of the game
- multiplayer was considered, but dropped to focus on single player
- customization levels are lower than the PC version
- no DLC was included, due to cost and development issues
- if the game sees release in the west, expect the coupon feature to be included

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Nexon is consulting with Nintendo about bringing the limited edition red MapleStory DS Nintendo DSi system overseas (see image below);
Nexon’s deal with Nintendo was only for MapleStory DS, but if this game sells well enough, further discussions with Nintendo will take place to bring more of Nexon’s games to DS;
Nothing is being planned for Wii at the moment, but the team is still considering creating something for the current home console leader in South Korea;
WiiWare, and other download services, are the natural evolution for game development, so if the market increases sufficiently, Nexon will consider that route.

With regards to the point about the success of MapleStory DS meaning more Nexon games come to DS, the good sign is that it seems the game is already off to a flying start. Popular Korean website Naver has the DS game ranked at No.7 on its search rankings as of 17th April, up from No.15 the week prior to the game’s release. This is seen as a massive achievement due to videogames normally not standing a chance against the popularity of online PC titles. The Korean forum where this news stems from, Ruliweb, implies that being listed on Naver may well be a more powerful advertising tool than the recent slew of TV adverts. At the time of writing, MapleStory DS has climbed up to No.6 on the game-related search rankings.