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We're awarding 7 teams up to $65,000 USD each! That's a whopping $455,000 invested in you! Main Round Entries Reveal.

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We're awarding 7 teams up to $65,000 USD each! That's a whopping $455,000 invested in you! Main Round Entries Reveal.

BI Logo

We're awarding 7 teams up to $65,000 USD each! That's a whopping $455,000 invested in you! Main Round Entries Reveal.

BI Logo

We're awarding 7 teams up to $65,000 USD each! That's a whopping $455,000 invested in you! Main Round Entries Reveal.

BI Logo

We're awarding 7 teams up to $65,000 USD each! That's a whopping $455,000 invested in you! Main Round Entries Reveal.

BI Logo

We're awarding 7 teams up to $65,000 USD each! That's a whopping $455,000 invested in you! Main Round Entries Reveal.

BI Logo

We're awarding 7 teams up to $65,000 USD each! That's a whopping $455,000 invested in you! Main Round Entries Reveal.

BI Logo

We're awarding 7 teams up to $65,000 USD each! That's a whopping $455,000 invested in you! Main Round Entries Reveal.

BI Logo
WORLDS
글로벌 개발 콘테스트

Final Round Period: 10/27 - 11/25

How the 7 Winners Are Chosen

A panel of judges (50%) and user evaluations (50%) will be combined to calculate a score (100%) for the final selections.

IP Interpretation and Expansion

Completion Level

Sustainability

Panel of Judges (50%)

User Feedback

Ad Response

User Evaluations (50%)

Judge Panel Evaluation Criteria

Same standards used in the main round.

IP Interpretation and Expansion

40%

An independent panel will be judging competitors based on how creatively they reimagine MapleStory's core elements of fun and how they expand on the game's design in a way that is both fun and unique.

An independent panel will be judging competitors based on how creatively they reimagine MapleStory's core elements of fun and how they expand on the game's design in a way that is both fun and unique.

Completion Level

40%

An independent panel will be judging competitors based on how stable the play environment is, how carefully crafted the Core Game Loop is, and how well the overall articulation and harmony between the audio and visual elements has been implemented.

An independent panel will be judging competitors based on how stable the play environment is, how carefully crafted the Core Game Loop is, and how well the overall articulation and harmony between the audio and visual elements has been implemented.

Sustainability

20%

An independent panel will be judging competitors based on the Challenge expansion potential, their user management capabilities, and other similar competencies required to ensure stable operation of the service.

An independent panel will be judging competitors based on the Challenge expansion potential, their user management capabilities, and other similar competencies required to ensure stable operation of the service.

The detailed selection criteria is available in the MapleStory Worlds Global Creator Challenge 2026 Terms and Conditions.

User (Player) Evaluation Criteria

Evaluations take place based on the measurable metrics below.

User Feedback

60%

Quantitative scores will be applied based on user participation metrics in the platform, world play data, positive review ratios, and negative report frequency.

Quantitative scores will be applied based on user participation metrics in the platform, world play data, positive review ratios, and negative report frequency.

Ad Response

40%

Core marketing result data, such as CTR, CVR, CPA, etc. will be used to calculate an overall score. The performance will be verified in target markets to evaluate potential for global expansion.

Core marketing result data, such as CTR, CVR, CPA, etc. will be used to calculate an overall score. The performance will be verified in target markets to evaluate potential for global expansion.

  • The management team will run ads in order to measure audience response.

  • For fairness, all ad campaigns will have the same budget, schedule, platform, and other relevant conditions.

A total of 7 worlds will be chosen as winners.

※ The number of selected worlds may differ depending on evaluation results.

Global Creator Challenge Schedule

  1. 6/4

    Submissions Open

    Submissions Open

  2. 10/7

    Submissions Close and First Eval Starts

    Submissions Close and First Eval Starts

  3. 10/27

    Announcement and Final Round Starts

    Announcement and Final Round Starts

  4. 11/25

    Final Round Ends

    Final Round Ends

  5. Early December

    Winners Announced

    Winners Announced

  • All schedules begin and end based on 11:00 KST (2:00 UTC).

  • The schedule is subject to change.

Reference and Notes

Please see notices for participation requirements and other details.

Some content is subject to change based on the challenge's status.

Do you have any more questions regarding the challenge?

Global Creator Challenge Rewards

per Team
Up to $65,000 USD

30 teams in the final round!

Up to $35,000 USD in Support Funds

7 Winning Teams

Up to $30,000 USD Added

Teams that advance to the final round, who also participate in the MapleStory Worlds developer support connection program, can claim the support funds. The amount awarded will differ depending on the program's payment standards.

※ There has been an update to the Next Program, and the link has been changed accordingly. Please read the new notice.

Teams who win the finals will receive $10,000 USD. Teams that also fulfill the separate payment requirements can earn up to $20,000 USD in additional development support funds. To review the details about the requirements to attain those funds, see the notice.

Global Creator Challenge Lounge

Development support for creators will continue! Interested in world development? Join the challenge Discord today.

Training Materials Provided

We will provide a variety of training materials
to help you improve your development skills.

Expert QnA

Experts will be available to
answer your burning world
development-related questions.

Exclusive Community

You'll have a place for everything from recruiting
team members to freely sharing information.