Nexon Fined Record £7M for Secretly Changing In-Game Item Drop Rates

The South Korean publisher violated consumer protection laws by altering the probability of certain items appearing in MapleStory without informing players.

Nexon, the South Korean publisher of MapleStory, has been fined 11.6 billion won (£7 million/$8.9 million) by Korea's Fair Trade Commission for secretly changing the drop rates of in-game items known as 'Cubes'.
The fine is the largest ever imposed for a violation of South Korea's Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce Act.
Nexon allegedly altered the probability of certain Cubes appearing without informing players, and in some cases, ensured there would be zero chance of select Cubes dropping.
This is Nexon's second violation, following a £690,000 fine in 2018 for misleading players about the drop rate of loot boxes in the game Sudden Attack.
Nexon has reportedly accepted the fine but indicated it may eventually challenge the decision.