Nexon Receives $8.9 Million Fine for Misleading MapleStory Players

The Korea Fair Trade Commission has imposed a fine of ₩11.6 million ($8.9 million) on Nexon for allegedly failing to disclose changes to the probability of obtaining in-game items in MapleStory. According to The Korea Economic Daily, this penalty is the largest ever handed down for a violation of South Korea's Electronic Commerce Consumer Protection Act. The Korea Fair Trade Commission claims that Nexon reduced the probability of players drawing certain in-game items, known as Cubes, without notifying them. These items can be drawn for approximately ₩2,000 ($1.50). Nexon initially set equal probabilities for these items in May 2010 but altered them in September of the same year, making popular Cubes less common. The company made further changes to these probabilities between August 2011 and March 2021 without informing customers, despite issuing a notice in August 2011 stating that no changes had been made to the game's probability structure. Kim Jung-ki, director of the market surveillance department at the KFTC, stated, 'We have imposed the largest fine due to the Cube being a core product in MapleStory, the lengthy period of the violation, and this being the second offense following a similar incident with Sudden Attack.' Nexon had previously been fined ₩944.5 million ($722,189) in 2018 for its loot box practices in the game Sudden Attack, while Netmarble received a fine of ₩60 million ($45,877).