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MapleStory publisher Nexon fined record $8.9 million for misleading loot box mechanicsSouth Korean commission says company have been rigging the odds in secret
South Korean commission says company have been rigging the odds in secret
Image credit:Nexon
Image credit:Nexon
From September 2010, however, Nexon began fiddling with the odds of certain Cubes appearing. Between August 2011 to March 2021, the company are said to have changed the probability structure so that certain much-desired options don’t appear at all. In the same period, Nexon raked in billions from sales of Cubes. Not only did the company fail to notify players of the changes - the KFTC alleges that in August 2011, Nexon outright told players that no such changes had been made.
Nexon have yet to say much in public about all this, but are apparently thinking about challenging the commission’s decision, or even taking them to court.
It’s the latest salvo in a lengthy battle between governments worldwide and game publishers over gambling-style microtransaction mechanics and their effects on children and other vulnerable people. In 2018,Belgium’s Gaming Commission ruled that loot boxes in games like Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive were effectively gambling mechanicsand would need to be removed, thoughone study has found that the rules aren’t being properly enforced.
The EU parliamentrecommended industry-wide reformsin January 2023, while Australiaintroduced new age rating classifications for games with loot boxes and simulated gambling mechanicsin March 2023. In July last year, the UK games industryagreed to restrict access to loot boxes for under-18 playersfollowing government pressure.
