Nexon Replay Project Sees Fandom, Not Old Code, As The Real IP Asset
Nexon is treating decades-old fan communities as the primary asset of an IP, using AI and UGC tools to make revival economically viable where it was not before.
Reporting from 1 sources: 4Gamer.net.
At NDC26, Nexon Korea's Oh Se-hyun detailed the Replay open license project, which revives dormant IPs from 20 years ago. The project prioritizes surviving fan communities over old game assets, using AI to lower the cost of code analysis and asset organization. Partners are selected per IP to rebuild a core experience before expanding into a franchise.
Oh Se-hyun, who led MapleStory World from 2019 to 2023 and now oversees Nexon's IP licensing, presented the Replay project at NDC26. The project started with a question: can games from 20 years ago still be an opportunity? The team found that even after services ended, fans kept posting, making unofficial games, writing lyrics, and saying they wanted to play again. Oh said IP is ultimately its fandom. Replay did not begin by extracting old assets but by organizing fans' long-standing memories into a form that leads to new creation.
In the past, the cost of reviving old IP was too high. Teams had to understand old code, check resource usage manually, and often rebuild from scratch. Now AI handles code analysis and file organization, the UGC ecosystem is mature, and small teams can make commercial games. Replay selects IPs based on three criteria: fans who still love it, code and assets for rebuilding, and documents that can be packaged without legal issues. Partners are chosen per IP to rebuild a core experience where fans can play, talk, and recommend again before expanding into merchandise, video, and exhibitions.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.