Nexon, the owner of 2023 hits The Finals and Dave the Diver, has been hit with a large fine for breaching South Korea’s Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce.
The highest fine ever imposed under the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce, The Finals‘ owner is expected to pay 11.6 billion won ($8.9 million) for allegedly manipulating gacha mechanics in its long-running anime game, MapleStory.
As detailed by KED Global, the Korea Fair Trade Commission alleges that Nexon lowered the probability of high-level drops in MapleStory’s Cubes. While some Cubes drop throughout the world, others like the Red and White variation can be purchased via the in-game store.
These are used to reset the potential of equipment (think imprinting in Diablo 4, where you replace one item’s bonus stats with another), and can prove invaluable when leveling up your characters. However, they operate using a randomized gacha mechanic, meaning you’ll have to splash the cash to ever get a decent pull.
While Nexon lists the various drop rates for the purchasable Red and Black Cubes on its official website, the Korea Fair Trade Commission alleges that the company decreased the drop rate of higher-tier potentials in March 2010, then altered it once more from August 2011 to March 2021 to ensure that high-level drops didn’t appear at all. From September 2010 to March 2021, the company reportedly netted 550 billion won ($420 million).
While Nexon has accepted the fine for the moment, KED Global notes that a recent statement claims it is considering challenging the fine, which may eventually lead to a trial. We’ve asked Nexon for clarification on this, and will keep this article updated.
In the meantime, though, we have a rundown of all the best free Steam games if you’re looking to save some cash, as well as other FPS games if you’re a fan of The Finals.
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