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CNA
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Remember the game MapleStory? It's being kept alive by these millennials 20 years on
Living The massive multiplayer online RPG game from South Korea showed its enduring popularity, judging by the crowd at its 20th anniversary pop-up event at Suntec City held over the weekend. It's not every day that a game can reach a 20th year anniversary, but MapleStory, a massive multiplayer online role-playing game from South Korea has achieved this. Much like World Of Warcraft, which had its own 20th last year, MapleStory is one of those games that has stood the test of time. This massive multiplayer online role-playing game from South Korea is set in a 2D world called Maple World and features cutesy characters with multiple classes and abilities to play with. Players roam a vast world filled with equally cute monsters to slay, while also clearing quests and taking down bosses. Screengrab of MapleStory. While not as popular as it used to be in its heyday, MapleStory still has a sizeable number of players, with an estimated 200,000 monthly players on its global servers, and around 20,000 for MapleStorySEA, its Southeast Asian server, though this is not an official figure. PlayPark, which publishes the game for Southeast Asia, declined to comment when asked. It also doesn't hurt when it's got a Japanese anime spin-off as well as K-pop groups like BTS and Blackpink professing their love for the game and even doing collaborations. For a PC game surviving at a time when most casual gamers are now mobile-first, MapleStory seems to have defied the odds. And if attendance numbers at its 20th anniversary event over the weekend at Suntec City in Singapore were anything to go by, the game still remains popular, especially among its millennial fanbase. According to PlayPark, the event drew around 10,000 attendees, which peaked on Sunday (Aug 17) as queues snaked around the mall for a 'secret ticket' event where people could get special in-game items. The crowd at MapleStory's 20th anniversary event at Suntec City. (Photo: PlayPark) Furthermore, while the event featured carnival games for players to win tickets to redeem in-game or physical merchandise, most of the attendees seemed to be more interested in queueing up to purchase MapleStory gear, reflective of the current millennial trend of collecting plushies. QUEUING FOR MERCH MapleStory fans and cosplayers at the recent 20th anniversary event at Suntec City. (Photo: PlayPark) While they didn't meet in-game, playing MapleStory was one of the things that cabin crew couple Chin Yi-Hin and Veneser Chew commonly shared. The 29-year-olds play MapleStory for about two hours a day. MapleStory has been a part of Chin's gaming life since primary school, and while he used to spend quite a bit – about four figures a month – he's since stopped doing so. This time, he and Chew were in line to spend money on the game's real world products instead. 'I used to spend, but not anymore, but if it's a physical version, I'll get it,' said Chin. (Photo: PlayPark) Also in the queue was digital marketing executive Lynette Than, who was with a bunch of friends patiently waiting to get their hands on MapleStory plushies. Having played since primary school, the 33 year-old has spent over 18 years inside the game, though it's not the only game she's been playing. 'I like the cute graphics, the gameplay, and that there's constant updates every week so there's new stuff,' said Than. 'But I also play other games as well, such as Overcooked.' FIRST IN LINE MapleStory superfan Ho Wei Keong. (Photo: Aloysius Low) Superfan Ho Wei Keong had been looking forward to the event. Together with his wife, Ho was the first in line at the MapleStory 20th anniversary pop-up and had been queueing since 11.30pm the night before it opened – he had to wait outside the mall when it was closed for the night. 'I started playing in 2016, then I quit, then came back in 2018, but during COVID-19, I decided to just stay all the way,' said Ho. 'I like making friends in game, and being in a guild and meeting up for gatherings at chalets.' Besides being first in line, Ho also attended a similar event in Kuala Lumpur in July, where he helped a fellow MapleStory player purchase merchandise to bring back to Singapore. He's a big fan of the Pink Bean character, and came down to pick up a Pink Bean bolster. Despite having originally started out determined to be a F2P (free-to-play) player, Ho said he now spends around S$2,000 every three months to retain his top MVP status, and plans to continue playing the game for as long as it's possible, though with breaks. 'I still do play for a long time, but I need to take a break for a short while to work on real life stuff as I have a daughter.' PLAYING SINCE HE WAS FIVE MapleStory cake at the 20th anniversary event at Suntec City. (Photo: PlayPark) Lim Wei Zhen, a 26-year-old HR executive, has been playing MapleStory since he was five after watching his brother play the game. He started playing at an early age because he comes from a family of gamers. 'I started playing because the game was cute, catchy, and fun,' said Lim. 'I could play with a lot of friends, and the music was very calming, which attracted me to play.' Lim also added that while he hasn't continuously played the game, he would still come back to it. He's tried all versions, including the mobile one, and has also been spending for in-game items to the tune of about S$500 a month after COVID-19 happened. 'I stop playing, I go do something else, but I keep thinking about the game,' he added, as he showed off the huge bag of loot he had gotten from the pop-up event. He spent around S$600 on merchandise for himself. Powered by millennial spending, MapleStory continues to have a fanbase that's loyal, dedicated and willing to spend. It's stood the test of time, but it will be interesting to see if the game will be able to have a 30th anniversary event in the future even as its core fans age. gaming tech
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Over 160 Blizzard workers in Irvine join union as gaming-industry labor movement expands
More than 160 workers at video game company Blizzard Entertainment have voted to unionize. The workers, who produce in-house cinematics, animation, trailers, promotional videos and other narrative content, are just the latest batch in the video game industry to unionize, with more than 6,000 having organized across the U.S. and Canada. A wave of organizing in the industry has been driven in recent years by such issues as crunch-time hours before a product releases, job insecurity and workplace harassment. The newly unionized workers are largely based in Irvine, where Blizzard Entertainment's campus is located. They will join Communications Workers of America Local 9510 in Orange County. John Gearratana, a cinematic producer who works out of the Irvine campus, said he and other workers had become frustrated with frequent layoffs and with lack of remote work options. Activision Blizzard laid off about 400 workers last year. 'People who work in games, a lot of the reason is they love [games], they want to make them and share them with people,' Gearratana said. 'But these waves of layoffs are really hard. It makes it hard to make games, it makes it hard to be creative, and it makes it hard to want to do this work.' Microsoft Corp.-owned Blizzard Entertainment has recognized the union. The company is a subsidiary of Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard, the largest game company in the Americas. Activision Blizzard was created in 2008 when Santa Monica-based Activision merged with the parent company of Blizzard Entertainment. It's known for successful titles such as 'Call of Duty,' 'Warcraft,' 'Overwatch,' 'Hearthstone' and 'Candy Crush.' It was acquired in 2023 by tech giant Microsoft. The worker vote did not have to go through a typical election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board because Microsoft pledged to take a neutral stance toward workers who sought to form a union. Microsoft's pledge, unusual among largely nonunionized tech giants, has paved the way for thousands of additional workers to more easily unionize. 'We continue to support our employees' right to choose how they are represented in the workplace,' a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement last year. Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nearly 3,000 workers at Microsoft-owned studios have unionized with CWA thus far, according to union spokesperson Sean Nesmith. CWA is the largest media and telecommunications labor union in the U.S. North America saw its first video game union form at the end of 2021 at Vodeo Games, an indie studio with about a dozen employees. In 2022, a small group of quality assurance workers at Raven Software, an Activision Blizzard-owned game studio in Wisconsin, unionized — marking the arrival of the first labor union at a major U.S. gaming company. And last year, more than 500 game developers at Blizzard Entertainment who work on the blockbuster video game 'World of Warcraft' elected to form a union.
Express Tribune
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Overwatch 2 director says Blizzard is interested in a TV series
Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller has stated that Blizzard is interested in producing a TV series for the game and bringing back animated shorts. Keller shared these comments while speaking with Twitch streamer Jay3, where he discussed the future of Overwatch 2's story following the cancellation of its PvE content. Keller said the team would 'love to do that' when asked about a potential TV series for Overwatch 2. He also noted, 'Even more than just a TV series, one of the things we see or hear our players talk about is Overwatch has dropped the ball when it comes to story and lore.' Blizzard previously released animated shorts to introduce heroes and expand the game's universe before the launch of the first Overwatch. While Overwatch 2 has had some shorts, they have been less frequent, and Keller expressed a desire to increase their presence. 'For me, personally, for us to say that Overwatch 2 is firing on all cylinders, we need to have some of those [shorts] come back,' Keller said during the discussion. Reports cited by journalist Jason Schreier have indicated that an Overwatch TV series was previously in development along with series for Warcraft and Diablo, but plans were cancelled following legal disputes between Blizzard and Netflix.
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Microsoft 9000 jobs cut: Blizzard puts Warcraft Rumble game in ‘maintenance mode'
Jul 03, 2025 04:21 PM IST Blizzard is winding down its mobile strategy game, Warcraft Rumble, amid massive Microsoft layoffs affecting the studio. The game will no longer receive new features or content, but it will remain online with regular support and limited in-game events. Blizzard cited that the game has been unable to meet long-term expectations despite ongoing improvements, which is a key reason behind the change. Blizzard pauses new content for Warcraft Rumble amid Microsoft's major layoffs. Warcraft Rumble was launched in 2023 to bring the Warcraft experience to mobile. It offers gameplay very similar to popular mobile games like Clash Royale. The game initially generated excitement but struggled to maintain a strong player base. Despite the team's hard work, listening to players' feedback, and exploring different options, the game showed little to no signs of improvement. Blizzard stated in its official announcement, 'We have made the difficult decision to stop developing new content for Warcraft Rumble and focus on maintaining the game for current players.' With that, the studio confirmed that there will be no new content for the game but emphasized keeping the game accessible and stable with support for bug fixes and in-game events. This move from the studio coincides with massive layoffs at Microsoft, the largest in over two years, with approximately 9,000 employees cut globally. This heavily impacted the Xbox gaming division and its subsidiaries, including Blizzard. These layoffs represent about 4% of Microsoft's total workforce and are part of a broader effort to redirect resources toward artificial intelligence and other priorities. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer explained that the company is 'ending or decreasing work in certain areas of the business' to focus on strategic growth areas. These cuts led to the cancellation of popular projects like the Perfect Dark reboot and Everwild, the shutdown of The Initiative, and reshuffling across Microsoft's gaming teams. For Blizzard, these layoffs mean reallocating resources from less successful ventures like Warcraft Rumble to core franchises.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix just got this fantasy action movie with Vin Diesel and Elijah Wood — and it's not even in the 'so bad it's good' category
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Netflix's latest addition is a dark fantasy action movie starring Vin Diesel that, on paper, sounds like it'll be a riot. As of today (June 16), Breck Eisner's "The Last Witch Hunter" is now available on the streaming service. This 2015 action flick pits Diesel's sword-swinging supernatural hunter against nefarious sorcerers. Sounds like a recipe for campy fun, right? Unfortunately.... It's anything but Even as a big fantasy guy myself, this is one new-to-Netflix watch I'd urge you to find something else to stream — and it turns out I'm not alone on that front, either. If you were waiting to stream "The Last Witch Hunter" on Netflix, you can find a little more info about the movie, and why I (and plenty of other viewers) would suggest you steer clear. "The Last Witch Hunter" introduces us to Kaulder (Vin Diesel), a powerful warrior cursed with immortality moments before he slayed the all-powerful Witch Queen hundreds of years ago. Working with "The Axes and Cross," Kaulder has kept humanity safe from supernatural forces, hunting down rogue witches who violate the fragile peace between the witches and the human race and keeping their powers in check. When a modern coven hatches a deadly plan to resurrect their queen, Kaulder and a few close allies look to be humanity's only chance at survival. In addition to Vin Diesel, "The Last Witch Hunter" also stars Michael Caine, Elijah Wood and Rose Leslie. Put simply, "The Last Witch Hunter" is a dreary watch. I'm no stranger to going against the grain when it comes to the fantasy genre — I went to bat for the "Warcraft" movie when it came to Netflix — but I don't think the movie that made it to our screens is worth shouting about. A lot of the problem is simply that I just don't buy Vin Diesel in the lead role; "The Last Witch Hunter" does not feel like his kind of movie. While the visual effects aren't bad (compared to some of today's watches), and the fights might occasionally thrill, it's just not very entertaining stuff. A lot of the problem is simply that I just don't buy Vin Diesel in the lead role; "The Last Witch Hunter" does not feel like his kind of movie. I can't even really see it landing as a guilty pleasure; "The Last Witch Hunter" does not veer into "so bad its good" territory. It's a self-serious, "edgy" mishmash of fantasy tropes and action, and a poorly written, plodding one at that. It's the kind of movie that wants you to think it is cool... but doesn't come off that way whatsoever. In other words, it's the movie equivalent of that dodgy "Shadow the Hedgehog" PS2 game. As I mentioned above, this isn't exactly a unique stance on the film, either. At the time of writing, "The Last Witch Hunter" holds a measly 18% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This isn't a situation where critics and viewers differ wildly, either; that 44% score on the Popcornmeter is indicative of a mixed reception, at best. As a sample of what people have to say about "The Last Witch Hunter," take Guy Lodge's review at Variety, who summed the movie up as a "limp, lame-brained occult thriller" and said it was "too drab to succeed even as defiantly unvirtuous trash." The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave the movie a one-star rating, calling it "dismal and dull" and positing Diesel and co.'s witch-hunting flick measures up unfavorably to Paramount's shlocky fairytale effort, "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters". And, reviewing at Entertainment Weekly, Kyle Anderson described the movie as "an unfortunately heavy-handed, humorless, self-serious" affair, adding: "It should be crazy fun on paper — Vin Diesel murders witches with a flaming sword! — but the only thing The Last Witch Hunter will successfully eradicate is insomnia." Unless you're desperate for some swords-and-sorcery fun (and you've already watched the far superior "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"), I'd suggest you avoid streaming "The Last Witch Hunter" on Netflix. If that means you're now in need of some new streaming suggestions for your next movie night, check out our round-up of the best movies on Netflix for tons of top recommendations. 7 new to Netflix shows and movies to stream this week Netflix's new mind-bending mystery thriller gets first trailer Netflix is losing this swoonworthy romantic drama very soon
