Headquarters of Nexon Co.(image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – In a landmark decision, South Korea’s Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling requiring Nexon Korea to partially refund players who were affected by falsely advertised probability rates for in-game items.
The Supreme Court’s Third Division rejected Nexon’s appeal on November 28, finalizing a ruling that orders the company to refund 5% of purchases made by MapleStory player Kim Jun-sung, who filed the lawsuit. The court stated that Nexon’s grounds for appeal did not meet the legal requirements under the Small Claims Trial Act.
The case originated in 2021 when evidence emerged that Nexon had manipulated the success rates of equipment enhancement using paid probability-based items called Cubes, setting them lower than advertised rates. Kim subsequently filed a lawsuit demanding a refund of 11 million won spent on the game.
While the initial trial was ruled in favor of Nexon, the Suwon District Court’s appellate division last January partially sided with the plaintiff, ordering Nexon to refund approximately 570,000 won, representing 5% of the claimed amount.
The appeals court characterized Nexon’s actions as “intentional and active fraudulent behavior that induced and exploited users’ gambling psychology and sunk cost fallacy.”
The court limited the refund to 5% of the claimed amount, considering factors such as the plaintiff’s multiple modifications to the claimed amount and continued purchase of Cube items during the lawsuit.
This marks the first Supreme Court precedent regarding probability manipulation in gaming items, although the final ruling did not specifically address the legal principles of transactions between Nexon and the plaintiff.
A Nexon representative stated, “We have accepted the Korea Consumer Agency’s collective dispute mediation proposal and are providing compensation to users who did not apply for dispute mediation. We will continue to do our best to restore user trust and provide better gaming services.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
