Nexon Korea Corporation—South Korea's KFTC fined Nexon ₩11.64B for concealing MapleStory loot-box probability changes for over a decade
The Korea Fair Trade Commission sanctioned Nexon Korea ₩11.64 billion (~$9M) after finding the company made 449 undisclosed changes to MapleStory's 'Cube' loot-box probability system between roughly 2010 and the early 2020s, removing sought-after outcomes and lowering rank-up odds without informing players, then continuing to sell the items — generating ₩537 billion in sales during the period — while its official notices implied probabilities were unchanged. Nexon is appealing the ruling, arguing the conduct predated South Korea's 2024 mandatory probability-disclosure law and falls outside the statute of limitations; a Seoul High Court ruling has been repeatedly postponed and was pending again as of September 2026.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Protection | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Corporate Transparency | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.725 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.64)
Evidence (2 signals)
KFTC counters Nexon's appeal defense, citing internal documents on concealment
Reporting on Nexon's Seoul High Court appeal shows the KFTC citing internal Nexon documents referencing a 'need to conceal the probability change' and rejecting Nexon's statute-of-limitations defense.
KFTC fines Nexon ₩11.64B over undisclosed MapleStory Cube probability changes
Korea Fair Trade Commission decision detailing 449 undisclosed updates to MapleStory's Cube probability system between 2010-2016 and ₩537 billion in related sales, sanctioned under the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce.