Nexon fined nearly $9M for falsifying loot box drop rates

Gaming IndustryNexon fined nearly $9M for falsifying loot box drop ratesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Nexon)

MapleStory screenshot - players standing around a golden tree on a fantasy harbourfront

Cubes, as they’re known in MapleStory, are randomized items costing roughly ₩2,000 ($1.50) each that are used to change or upgrade the power of in-game equipment. They were added to the game in May 2010, according to the report, shortly after which Nexon began messing with the drop rates so more powerful Cubes would appear less often.

It continued changing the odds until March 2021, in some cases ensuring that particularly high-demand Cubes didn’t drop at all, but did not notify players of the changes—in fact, in August 2011 Nexon released a statement saying that no changes had been made.

Loot box drop rates was a major hot topic several years ago: In 2017, Chinaimposed a lawrequiring all game makers to reveal their loot box drop rates, and a couple years later major publishers in North America, facing growing pressure from the US government,followed suit. Knowing the drop rates is the only way players can have any idea how likely it is that they’re going to get something good for their money (and thus, at least in theory, how aggressively they should keep throwing money at it), which is what makes it such a big deal—but of course that usefulness is dependent upon the information being accurate, which according to the KFTC was not the case here.

Nexon said it accepted the KFTC’s decision but may challenge it, according to the report. I’ve reached out to Nexon for more information and will update if I receive a reply.

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