SEOUL, December 01 (AJP) - South Korean game developer Webzen has been fined for manipulating item acquisition probabilities in its mobile title Mu Archangel and misleading players, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said on Monday.
The regulator imposed a 158 million won (about $120,000) penalty for failing to disclose mechanisms that significantly reduced users’ chances of obtaining rare in-game items.
According to the FTC, between June 2020 and March 2024 Webzen sold three types of randomized, paid items while hiding a so-called “floor system,” which blocked players from acquiring rare items until they made a minimum number of purchases.
The FTC ruled the company had violated e-commerce law by using deceitful practices to induce spending. Of roughly 20,000 affected players, only 860 were compensated, prompting the regulator to issue a heavier fine than in comparable cases involving publishers such as Gravity and Com2uS.
Player groups criticized the penalty as insufficient, noting that Webzen earned approximately $5.6 million from the sales linked to the deceptive system. The Game Users Association and the Webzen Game Victims Group said they plan to file a civil lawsuit seeking additional compensation, arguing that more than 95 percent of affected users remain uncompensated.
An FTC official said the penalty was calculated under the country’s current e-commerce regulations.
* This article, published by Economic Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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