MapleStory's False Loot Box Odds Gets Nexon Fined $8.9 Million By Korean Antitrust Agency

Hold on to your butts, this one is wild.

Nexon, Korea's largest video game developer and distributor, has been fined 11.6 billion won ($8.9 million) by Korea's antitrust regulator for misleading users with false information regarding in-game purchases according to Korea JoonAng Daily (original official press release here).

The fine comes after the odds of winning items from loot boxes in games such as MapleStory and Bubble Fighter were falsely given to consumers. Nexon provided the incorrect probabilities of obtaining items such as the Cube in MapleStory from loot boxes, making consumers believe they had a better chance of obtaining the item than they actually did.

Korean antitrust regulators also issued a corrective measure that prohibits companies from engaging in such practices without informing users.

Now, Nexon COULD raise an objection to the fine and maybe get it reduced, and they probably will do so...but damn...SHOULD they? It may be better for them to move on from this one as fast as humanly possible. A little under $9 million is probably far less than they actually made on the sales.

Seems like it's another example of a company getting what doesn't even amount to a slap on the wrist for dealings that actually break laws. In this case, Korea's Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce Act.