South Korean publisher Nexon was recently fined 11.6 billion won ($8.9 million USD) for allegedly manipulating and misleading its customers over in-game item probabilities.

In a report by The Korea Economic Daily, The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KTFC) said that Nexon has been fined for arbitrarily lowering the probability of in-game item drop rates in their online titles such as the popular MapleStory and Bubble Fighter.

This particular fine was noted to be the highest amount ever imposed for violating the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce in South Korea.

The Item Rates

The item in question is the Cube in MapleStory, a paid consumable for resetting or upgrading the potential of equipment worn by the players’ in-game characters, with each carrying varying degrees of potential.

The antitrust body unveiled that Nexon has been lowering the rates and setting the probability of players winning and drawing their preferred equipment potentials from Cubes without notice.

When the Cube was first introduced in May 2010, the probability of all results was equal, but in an update from September 2010, Nexon had altered the rates so that popular options would appear less.

Then from August 2011 to March 2021, Nexon seemingly altered the probability structure of the Cube again where certain highest preferred options would not appear at all.

It is to be noted that each Cube costs 2,000 won ($1.50 USD) and Nexon had successfully netted 550 billion won (approximately $420 million USD) from the sales of Cubes during that time.

According to the KTFC, Nexon did not notify its customers regarding charges to the probability of the Cube but rather lied that no alterations were being made for the item.

“We imposed the largest fine because the Cube is a core product of the game (Maple Story), the period of the violation is long and this is the second violation (by Nexon) following Sudden Attack,” said Kim Jung-ki, director of the market surveillance department of the Korea Fair Trade Commission.

Nexon was fined 939 million won ($716 000 USD) back in 2018 for a similar case where the gacha rates information given out to players was found to be false in its online FPS title Sudden Attack.

In response to the fine, Nexon accepted the commission’s decision but is considering challenging it or taking the case to court.