MMO dev fined record-breaking $9 million fee for misleading players over microtransactions

The developer behind Korean MMO MapleStory has been fined just under $9 million for violating South Korea's Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce.

As reported by the Korean Economic Daily, Nexon, who develops hit games like MapleStory and Bubble Fighter, has been handed down a fine for violating the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce. The fine is the equivalent of $8.9 million USD, making it the largest ever fine of its kind in South Korea.

The fine effectively boils down to Nexon having altered the odds of certain items dropping from in-game purchased, without telling its players. The developer was said to have "arbitrarily" altered the odds of certain Cubes dropping for MapleStory players without giving players a warning before they purchased randomized microtransactions.

In 2018, Nexon was fined 939 million Won, around $717,000 USD, for giving out false information surrounding microtransactions in another game, Sudden Attack. With this new fine, Nexon reportedly said it has accepted the fine, but hasn't ruled out legally challenging it.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.