Private MapleStory servers targeted for shutdown
In news that should surprise precisely nobody at all, AsiaSoft, an Eastern distributor of Nexon's MapleStory, has started targeting private MapleStory servers for shutdown. According to Asiaone Digital, it seems that one such person named Sean Lee is now under scrutiny by AsiaSoft for running a fairly popular server in Singapore. What started as a server run out of his bedroom for a handful of friends has blossomed into a server supporting 32,000 MapleStory players just a few short months later. Sure, it may not sound like much - until you realize that of the people polled for the story, half said they play on private servers. When faced with potentially as much as 50% of your userbase playing on private servers, you're talking about a very significant loss of revenue for AsiaSoft, and in turn, Nexon.
That said, Sean is awaiting a formal take-down from AsiaSoft, even knowing he's currently being targeted along with several others for running illicit MapleStory servers. He stated that he's continuing to run it for the players because "If [he shuts] it down, [he] will be letting them down." Additionally, his parents allow him to run the server with full knowledge of what he's doing, so long as he agrees to take it down when AsiaSoft asks him to. Perhaps it's just us, but if we knew we were about to get a visit from men in nice suits who had legal documents that talked about things like "seeking financial damages", we'd be out of the pirated game server business quickly. Still, it's an interesting read, so be sure to check out the full story.
[Via Kotaku]
