South Korea’s Supreme Court rules against Nexon in case of fraudulent practices involving in-game items

This undated photo shows Nexon’s headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times file

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against Korean game maker Nexon in a lawsuit over alleged fraudulent practices in in-game items, marking the first ruling of its kind.

The top court ordered Nexon’s Korea office to pay back 5 percent of the 11 million won ($7,882) the plaintiff spent on purchasing in-game items for the game maker’s flagship title, MapleStory , thereby confirming the decision of the appeal court.

In 2021, it was discovered that Nexon had changed the probability of random items for MapleStory to the detriment of users without notifying them.

This is the first Supreme Court ruling on suspicions of manipulation by local gaming companies of the probability of receiving in-game items.

After the ruling, Nexon said it would “do its best to provide better gaming services to its customers and restore user trust.”

The company also said it has accepted the Korea Consumer Agency’s arbitration in collective disputes filed by its users to seek compensation in similar cases.

Earlier this year, the Fair Trade Commission imposed a record 11.6 billion won fine on Nexon in the case. (Yonhap)