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Nexon Announces BlockParty, a Social Networking Service

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Nexon, the publishers of the hits MapleStory and Combat Arms, have recently announced a new service they’ve been developing. Social networking is super hot right now and Nexon is hoping BlockParty.com will be an effective way of combining its free to play games  with a web based social networking. There’s not much on the site right now but the press release below details some of Nexon’s plans. Customizable profiles and a universal buddy list will allow players to see which of their friends is online and what Nexon game they’re currently playing.

Original Press Release:

Nexon America has begun its rollout of a new, free service initiative called BlockParty that will centralize all of Nexon’s games into one online portal and combine it with a social network designed to expand players’ gaming experience.

BlockParty, which will be online at BlockParty.com in the coming months, is currently being previewed at all of Nexon America’s game Web sites as well as at www.Nexon.net. The preview is set off by clicking on the animated “Blockheads” that launch into a short preview at the top of each Web page.

At its launch, players will be able to go to BlockParty.com and access their game accounts, launch games from their browser, and interact with other players from any of Nexon’s games. BlockParty will also provide players with customizable profile pages and a real-time news update that announces player accomplishments via BlockParty’s “Play Feed.”

BlockParty will also bring gamers together with simple and easy buddy lists and player search tools. Through their BlockParty profiles, players will also be able keep track of their friends’ gaming exploits.

“BlockParty will be one part games, one part portal with a twist of social networking.  Nexon America’s goal for BlockParty is to create the biggest online party with great games and awesome gamers,” said Min Kim, Nexon America’s vice president of marketing. “BlockParty will allow Nexon to better serve our players by extending the community experience to a central web-based communication hub. BlockParty will also make it easier for players to access Nexon’s growing list of games, and at the same time, allow them to share their online gaming adventures with their friends.”

The BlockParty initiative has been underway at Nexon America for several years, and with its inception, will be the only complete service delivering high-quality free-to-play games through a portal with a robust social gaming network. New and current players will be able to access all the features of BlockParty by using a Nexon Passport, which can be signed up for in just minutes.

“Joining BlockParty and having a blast will be extremely easy,” added Kim. “Nothing is going to change about our games — still fun, still free.  The addition of the social network elements at BlockParty will be familiar to most Internet users and we expect current players to forge even stronger relationships with their in-game friends and new players to quickly make friends and dive into the community.  BlockParty is really about fun and friends.”

No date has been set for the opening of BlockParty.com, though Nexon America will conduct beta tests throughout the remainder of 2009.

ABOUT NEXON AMERICA INC.

Nexon America Inc. is the North American publishing arm of Nexon Group, a pioneer of interactive entertainment software and the world’s leader in massively multiplayer online games. Based in Los Angeles, Nexon America was founded in 2005 to bring the best of online entertainment to the North American audience. The company’s growing library of titles includes the world famous franchise MapleStory, the new fantasy life of Mabinogi, the fast-paced, first-person shooter Combat Arms and the soon to be released action-adventure game, Dungeon Fighter Online. The foundation of all Nexon America titles is the item selling business model, in which users access the full game for free and can later opt to pay for game enhancements.

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