Lotte World Adventure is establishing itself as an offline platform for enjoying the characters and universe of the popular online game "MapleStory." Once a destination primarily for rides and parades, the park now incorporates scenes from the game, allowing visitors to enjoy the theme park in new ways such as creating their own characters and purchasing MapleStory intellectual property (IP) merchandise.
Since March, Lotte World has been running a major collaboration with Nexon's long-running game "MapleStory." Through May 14, the spring festival "MapleStory in Lotte World" transforms the entire Adventure park into a world resembling "MapleStory." Last month, the park opened the "Maple Island Zone," covering approximately 2,000 square meters (about 600 pyeong), in the outdoor Magic Island area. This marks the first time "MapleStory" IP content has been implemented at a theme park.
Lotte World Adventure noted that MapleStory is a long-running game of more than 20 years and remains one of Nexon's flagship titles. Lotte World judged that the IP is well-suited for targeting entire families, given that the teens and twenty-somethings who played the game at its launch have become parents, while their children have grown into a new generation of MapleStory users. For Nexon, the partnership provides an opportunity to expand the MapleStory universe, which had been confined to the online realm, into the offline world.
The judgment of both companies has paid off. The flagship content "Create Your Own Character" has drawn an enthusiastic response, with participants surpassing 100,000 this month, just two months after the festival began. Create Your Own Character is an experiential attraction in which visitors scan a QR code and upload a photo, generating a MapleStory character based on their own face. When linked with the smartphone app "MapleHands+," users can also import their own characters they have raised in the game.
Upon entering the meeting plaza on the first floor of Lotte World Adventure, visitors immediately spot the 10-meter-tall large screen that serves as the experience venue. MapleStory's signature pixel characters pour onto the screen. The visitor's created character appears prominently on the screen before blending in among the other characters. One visitor in their 20s said, "Meeting MapleStory, which I enjoyed as a child, again at Lotte World brought back old memories. Seeing my character appear on the large screen made me want to log back into the game for the first time in a while."
Rides infused with the Maple universe have also become must-visit attractions at Lotte World Adventure. The "Maple Island Zone" at Magic Island features three new rides: "Stone Express," a children's roller coaster with a mining train concept; "Eos Tower," a tower-type ride; and "Arcana Ride," a rotating ride. All three rides — whose names and concepts reflect locations and atmospheres from MapleStory — have drawn long lines. The "Maple Island Zone" at Magic Island will continue operating as a permanent attraction even after the festival ends next month.
Merchandise has also proven a major hit. Word of mouth has spread that the park is a holy ground for MapleStory fans, and the merchandise store "Maple Store" sees daily lines of visitors. Maple Store is a collaboration goods specialty store available only at Lotte World Adventure, designed around the "Ludibrium" concept from the MapleStory universe.
The top-selling item is the "Orange Mushroom Plush Hat." Shaped like the iconic monster "Orange Mushroom," familiar to any MapleStory user, the hat is frequently spotted as visitors wear it for photos while wandering through the Maple Island Zone. The merchandise also incorporates details targeting MapleStory fans. Notable examples include plush keyrings depicting in-game monsters riding Lotte World attractions, drink bottles modeled after the "Eos Tower," and hairpins featuring the "MISS" indicator that appears on the game screen. The merchandise goes beyond simply attaching character images, embodying scenes and items recognizable to those who have played the game.
A Lotte World Adventure official said, "We plan to continue actively pursuing collaborations with various external IPs to offer attractions that captivate both existing customers and fandoms."
