Who owns MapleStory?
MapleStory is owned by Nexon (Japan, TSE: 3659), which has owned the brand since 2005.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: NEXON Co., Ltd. 24th Annual Securities Report (fiscal year 2025), 24 March 2026. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- NEXON Co., Ltd. reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇯🇵 Japan, Tokyo
- Origin
- 🇰🇷 South Korea
- Founded
- 2003
- Category
- Internet & digital › Platforms & devices › Video games
- Parent ticker
- TSE: 3659
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About MapleStory
MapleStory is a side-scrolling 2D MMORPG with cute characters, built to run on low-specification PCs. It launched in Korea in May 2003 and reached Japan, China, North America and Europe by 2007. NEXON's own filing credits it with establishing the microtransaction revenue model in online games. NEXON Korea, which owns the IP, bought it from Wizet Corporation in December 2005.
Ownership timeline of MapleStory
Where MapleStory sits in Nexon
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Nexon ownership tree →
See the full Nexon brand portfolio (7) →
Other brands owned by Nexon
Nexon controls 7 brands on Brandtree, 5 of them in internet & digital.
Also in internet & digital
- ARC Raiders (2025)
- DAVE THE DIVER
- Dungeon&Fighter (2005)
- KartRider
Other brands in video games, and who owns them
The 87 brands in video games on Brandtree belong to 22 owners. The largest is Take-Two, with 7; Nexon has 5.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Westward Journey | NetEase | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
| Age of Wonders | Paradox Interactive | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| 2K | Take-Two | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Apex Legends | EA | 🇺🇸 United States |
| eFootball | Konami | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA | KRAFTON | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| Bingo Blitz | Playtika | 🇮🇱 Israel |
| Mega Man | Capcom | 🇯🇵 Japan |
About the owner: Nexon
Nexon is a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 2002. Brandtree records 7 brands under its control, and it is listed as TSE: 3659.
NEXON Co., Ltd. is a Tokyo-listed online games company whose biggest games are owned by its South Korean subsidiaries. It was set up in Tokyo in December 2002 by the original NEXON Corporation, which Jungju Kim had founded in Seoul in 1994 and which survives as NXC Corporation, still the holder of 46.3% of the voting rights. NEXON has been listed in Tokyo since December 2011. Its Korean games are owned through NEXON Korea, NEOPLE and the KOSDAQ-listed NEXON Games, of which it holds 62.9%. The NEXON name itself is licensed in from NXC.
🇰🇷 MapleStory and other South Korean brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 237 brands that began in South Korea. 12 of them (5%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, MapleStory among them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of MapleStory?
The parent company of MapleStory is Nexon, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is MapleStory South Korean or Japanese?
MapleStory originated in South Korea in 2003, but it is owned today by Nexon, which is headquartered in Japan. So MapleStory is a South Korean-origin brand under Japanese ownership.
Since when has Nexon owned MapleStory?
Nexon has owned MapleStory since 2005.
Is MapleStory still owned by Nexon?
Yes. As of 28 October 2026, MapleStory is still owned by Nexon. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] NEXON Co., Ltd. 24th Annual Securities Report (fiscal year 2025) — NEXON Co., Ltd., Stock exchange filing, published 24 March 2026; retrieved 28 October 2026.
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