Nexon America’s ‘Maplestory’ not only has a lot of players – 9.2 million registered users in North America – but those players are multiplying quickly as the number of characters created in the game has surpassed 35 million.

‘MapleStory’ is known as the first commercially successful free-to-play massively multiplayer online game (MMO) in North America. ‘MapleStory’s’ success has paved the way for a new generation of online games that have successfully turned to the free-to-play, microtransaction-based business model.

‘MapleStory’s’ deeply immersive, vibrant 2-D world creates social environment that is accessible and friendly for any gamer. The game has attracted an enormous audience around the world thanks to its colorful characters, expansive world and a myriad of adventures. ‘MapleStory’ can be downloaded for free on PC and versions of the franchise can be played on Facebook and mobile platforms as well.

The game has been celebrating its seventh anniversary of service in North America throughout the May and is holding a variety of events and promotions to thank players for their loyalty and dedication.

‘We have amazing players. The number of characters created tells us that a lot of our players have taken advantage of the depth and richness ‘MapleStory’ delivers,’ said Nexon America CEO Daniel Kim. ‘In 2005, when we first introduced the ‘MapleStory’ into the North American market, our free-to-play model was quickly written off by many in the gaming industry as an Asian model that will ‘never work.’ It was obvious after we quickly added millions of loyal and enthusiastic players to our customer base that free-to-play would work in North America. I believe that ‘MapleStory’s’ performance convinced many in the West to adopt a similar free-to-play business model.’

So far this year, new content added to ‘MapleStory’ includes a war with evil invading space aliens, a time traveling mission, and the revamp of a variety of vintage characters.