Hello.

This time, I’m looking at The Kingdom of the Winds’ 30th anniversary and a few of the celebrations surrounding it.

My memories of The Kingdom of the Winds go back quite a way, so although I cannot recall any specific moments, I do remember enjoying it. Looking back, 30 years feels like a truly remarkable run for a live-service game.

The 30th anniversary event in MapleStory

To mark The Kingdom of the Winds’ 30th anniversary, MapleStory also held a celebration event on April 5. It was a simple affair: answer a quiz in which every option was correct, and receive the rewards.

Aside from the Squirrel 4x EXP Coupon, all the rewards were items that had appeared in previous events. The EXP coupon’s icon was so cute that I tucked it away in storage as a keepsake.

Still, with the event lasting only a day and offering relatively little to do, some players felt it would have been nice to bring back the Squirrel Extermination Mission event from the NEXON 30th anniversary collaboration.

That event parodied Vampire Survivors’ gameplay using elements from The Kingdom of the Winds, and I remember the minigame being quite well received as something enjoyable in its own right, beyond its role in the event.

I would also like to see the reward items from that event return someday.

The celebration event in MapleStory has now ended, but the events in other games still have plenty of time left, so it is worth checking your game’s notices for the schedule and details. You can visit the event page through this link.

The main event page is also available through this link. Since the progression support events have only recently begun, now might be a good time to give the game a try or return after a break.

Alongside the progression events, there is the Peddler’s Name Market nickname auction and the Good Fortune prize-draw event, so you may want to take part if either interests you.

A legacy more impressive than I had realized

This event also taught me that every quiz option shown above was factually correct. I knew the game had been running for a long time, but this was how I first learned that it is the world’s longest-running graphical MMORPG and Korea’s first PC MMORPG.

The timeline shown here is apparently a history of The Kingdom of the Winds published by NEXON. Other accounts say it began with just 1 concurrent player, and with that starting point in mind, I think it is fair to call this a game of real significance.

I looked up what the announcement of a full shift to free-to-play actually meant. Apparently, the game had previously been free only up to a certain level, after which players had to pay to keep leveling—a progression model that feels quite unfamiliar today.

I also looked up the Acorn Shop listed at the end of the timeline, which led me to NEXON essential’s page selling The Kingdom of the Winds merchandise. Commemorative merchandise is set to be released for the 30th anniversary, so it may be worth a visit if you are interested.

Thank you for reading.