Kim Chang-seop, Nexon MapleStory Division Vice President

Kim Chang-seop is Vice President of Nexon Korea's MapleStory Division and the overall Director of MapleStory. He was born on November 20, 1989 in Pohang, Gyeongbuk. He graduated from Yonsei University's Department of Korean Language and Literature and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Artillery Corps through ROTC (50th Class) during his university years.

He joined Nexon Korea in 2014 as a planner for the domestic MapleStory team. After serving as planning team leader and planning director, he was appointed as the 8th Director of MapleStory on August 24, 2023. He was promoted to Vice President of the MapleStory Division in May 2026 and now oversees the entire MapleStory intellectual property (IP).

The 'Systems Designer' who created Union and Illium, 10 years before becoming Director

Before becoming Director, Kim Chang-seop was a planner who built the foundation of MapleStory. After joining in 2014, he designed the 'Maple Union' and 'Equipment Transcendence' systems that transformed the paradigm of character development, and developed content that remains central to the service today, including the new class Illium, Thor's Hammer, and Polo & Fritto. This is why users call him 'Illium's Father.' He first appeared on stage at the Nexon Developer Conference (NDC) in 2018, and from 2021 onwards, as planning team leader, he appeared directly in customer meetings and 'LIVE' and 'DESTINY' online showcases. When he was promoted to planning director in 2022, he was already being discussed among users as a strong candidate for the next director. He even announced his appointment as director himself during the live broadcast 'Vision Talk' in August 2023.

The Bold Move of 'Cube Deletion,' from DREAMER to OVERDRIVE

The 'DREAMER' update released in his first winter is regarded as the most symbolic decision of his tenure. He completely removed 'Cubes,' the paid probability item that was the heart of MapleStory's revenue model, and converted equipment potential resets to in-game currency (Mesos). At a time when trust was at its lowest due to controversy over probability-based items, removing a core revenue source marked a turning point—creating the slogan 'normalization' among users and earning him the nickname 'God of Normalization.' Subsequently, MapleStory established a rhythm of two major updates per year, in summer and winter. This cycle, which progressed through MILESTONE and NEXT (2024), ASSEMBLE and CROWN (2025), and reached this summer's 'OVERDRIVE,' resulted in MapleStory's Q2 2026 revenue growing 63% year-over-year, driving Nexon's quarterly revenue to 1.139 trillion won, the highest on record. A game that abandoned Cubes posting its highest revenue three years later became an industry case study proving that the strategy of forgoing short-term profit to earn trust works.

The Director Who Speaks Through Showcases, Communication Is Management

The most distinctive feature of Kim Chang-seop's tenure is using showcases and live broadcasts as the central mechanism of management. He takes the stage at every major update to explain the direction of changes, and personally announces especially sensitive matters regarding balance and revenue model reforms. Since promises made at showcases are verified at the next showcase, these events serve simultaneously as communication with users and as public accountability for management. He handled controversies the same way. During the Angelic Buster Remaster promotional video controversy at the end of 2023, he addressed the situation directly through a live broadcast. The director has become the face of the service—users even created the 'Chang-pop' meme based on his statements. However, some point out that this structure, where user trust is tied to the individual director, is a double-edged sword. If performance or operations falter, the backlash can focus on the individual as well.

Vice President Promotion, the Challenge Shifts from 'Game' to 'IP'

In May 2026, Nexon promoted Kim Chang-seop to Vice President of the MapleStory Division, officially designating IP strengthening as a core objective. He has been given the role of IP strategist encompassing worldwide services and derivative projects, moving beyond the operation of a single game. He must maintain growth momentum in the domestic main server while managing equity controversies with overseas services, and prove the sustainability of revenue models in the regulatory environment following mandatory disclosure of probability-based item information.

After OVERDRIVE, Eyes Turn to the Winter Showcase

The OVERDRIVE update unveiled this summer launched a new class, 'Lethe,' along with new bosses and growth progression improvements in a single package, accelerating the upward momentum of the first half. The management direction of consistently adding new bosses with each major update since the 2024 MILESTONE has continued. Unlike last winter's CROWN, which focused on consolidating the existing user base, OVERDRIVE placed weight on expanding growth drivers, with follow-up patches continuing at three-month intervals in the second half to fill update gaps.

Attention now turns to year-end. Following convention, MapleStory will have the director personally unveil the outline of the winter update at the year-end showcase stage. The community is already engaged in discussions speculating about the winter update's direction. As this is the director's first winter showcase following the record-breaking performance and vice president promotion, the showcase is expected to serve as a testing ground showing where MapleStory heads into the 'post-normalization' era. Just as he changed the game by deleting Cubes in his first winter, users' expectations now turn to the next bold move he will present from the stage this winter.