Less than 2 years from opening its Global version, Maple Story 2 has received the axe from Nexon. Unfortunately the game failed to recapture the massive audience that the original Maple Story lured in. The official date for closure is May 27, 2020. With that being said, Nexon is running some events before shutting down for good, mostly massive EXP and DROP increases. So if you want to go in for one last hurrah, now would be the time.

I did play the game upon release, but like many others felt, the game didn’t have the same allure as the original. The social aspect was significantly diminished; the simplicity and lack of features actually made the original Maple Story more sociable. Grinding through Maple Story 2 felt more like a single player game with a so-so combat system. In the original, you spent more time with people as you were forced to do Party Quests and since the grind for levels was so heavy, you had to lean on others to pass the time and took breaks to do other activities or just hang out in the Free Market. It was a more rewarding journey with a massive community behind you. None of these characteristics were present in MS2. I was extremely excited for this sequel, but in the end, it was a let down. Even so, I am saddened to see it end so soon, instead of being fixed by a major update. Even Final Fantasy 14 was considered a flop when it first released, but it was reworked into one of the most popular MMOs. I hope something like a Maple Story 3 will be in the works.

Read the Nexon press release here.