South Korea's antitrust regulator announced on Wednesday that it has decided to fine Nexon, the country's largest game developer, 11.6 billion won (approximately US$8.85 million) for allegedly defrauding users of in-game props. According to the investigation, from 2010 to 2021, Nexon has repeatedly adjusted the probability of random props in popular games such as "MapleStory" and "Bubble Fighter", putting users at a disadvantage, but did not inform users, violating the "E-Commerce Consumer Protection Act".
This is the largest fine ever levied by South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) against a company that violates the act.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission said: "Nexon issued game change announcements hundreds of times between 2010 and 2021, but omitted information about probability adjustments. Our judgment is that the company's purpose is to lure customers by providing false information and using deceptive means."
According to Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC), in August 2011, Nexon even issued a false announcement claiming that no changes had been made to the program.
According to data from the Korean Fair Trade Commission, Nexon's sales from the "MapleStory" game in 2020 reached 560 billion won, of which about 28% of sales came from in-game props.