NEXON announced on the 20th that it has officially opened its third 'Maple Leaf Playground' at Seoul Children's Grand Park, a move aimed at bolstering children's rights to play and promoting their overall well-being. Spanning a generous 750-pyeong area in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, the project saw NEXON breathing new life into an aging public space. By listening directly to the kids who actually use it, the company has transformed the site into a bespoke play zone, hoping to champion the vital, positive influence that quality play has on a child's development.

Recognising that large parks attract a whirlwind of families, NEXON focused on creating a space where anyone can play 'sufficiently, for a long time, and with plenty of fun'. The centrepiece is a towering, 9-metre tall 'Pink Bean World' play structure, pulling directly from the MapleStory IP. It is not just about the visuals, though; they have packed the site with five slides, four swings, and five trampolines to ensure no one is left waiting in line. They have also thoughtfully placed 'Maple Leaf Shelters'—shaded benches—in the middle, giving parents a decent spot to catch their breath while the little ones run riot.

Crucially, this wasn't just a corporate design exercise; the 'Maple Leaf Brave Squad', a group of actual children, had their voices heard throughout the process. Their feedback was refined by experts from NEXON Space, the company’s subsidiary for space management, alongside the professionals at Seoul Children's Grand Park. As for the daily grind of keeping things safe and tidy, the Seoul Facilities Corporation will be handling ongoing operations.

It seems the kids are chuffed, with the 'Maple Leaf Brave Squad' giving the design a solid 9.1 out of 10. To put that in perspective, that is a 76 percentage point jump in satisfaction compared to their local neighbourhood playgrounds. A massive 88.2% of the children loved that the facilities were 'more fun and novel,' while 70.6% felt the game characters added a special touch. Perhaps most telling is that the proportion of children wanting to play for over an hour was three times higher than at typical local spots, with parents and kids alike praising the layout for sparking creativity and encouraging a bit of healthy challenge.

Chang-sub Kim, the General Director of MapleStory in Korea, noted, 'We wanted to create a space that gift-wraps happy memories for the whole family, capturing the imagination and voices of the children who are our future leaders.' He added, 'We will continue to do our absolute best to ensure that the positive influence created alongside our MapleStory adventurers reaches even more children.'

The Maple Leaf Playground initiative, a joint effort by the NEXON Foundation and MapleStory, is a social contribution project dedicated to renovating dilapidated public playgrounds or building new ones in underserved areas. Following the first site in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, in December 2024, the second site opened in Uijeongbu last April. That second location even earned the title of 'Excellent Children's Playground' by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2025, effectively proving the value of 'providing engaging play experiences through game IP integration.'