Game Rating Board vs Game Companies, Endless P2E Battles

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The dispute between the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) and the gaming industry over the launch of play-to-earn (P2E) game services is intensifying. As P2E games have already established themselves as a global trend, the industry insists that domestic releases should be allowed, while GRAC maintains that distribution within Korea is impossible under current laws.

According to related industry sources on the 29th, the P2E game "Muhan Dolpa Samgukji (Mudo Samgukji)," whose service was suspended due to GRAC's cancellation of its rating classification decision, resumed service from the day before. This followed a court order suspending the effect of GRAC's decision in response to an injunction filed by the developer, Natriss. Since this is a temporary injunction, the service resumption is valid only until January 14 next year. Whether the service will continue thereafter depends on the final outcome of the injunction application.

This is the second time a domestic P2E game has had its service suspended due to rating classification cancellation and then resumed. In April, GRAC also canceled the rating classification decision for the blockchain-based mobile game "Five Stars for Klaytn" by the game company Sky People. Subsequently, Sky People filed an injunction and an administrative disposition cancellation lawsuit against GRAC, winning the injunction lawsuit in June.

Although these court decisions have embarrassed GRAC, it has not withdrawn its regulatory stance. Recently, it has also imposed regulations on overseas P2E games serviced domestically. The target is "Setan Arena," created by the foreign game company Wolf Fun Games. Setan Arena is a multiplayer online battle arena game released in the Korean market on platforms such as the Google Play Store on the 28th of last month.

This game also allows players to mine coins in-game and then convert them into cash. GRAC judged that the tangible and intangible results obtained in this game could promote gambling and decided to cancel its rating classification. If Wolf Fun Games files an injunction like Natriss and Sky People, it is highly likely that the same decision will be made again.

As the cancellation of rating classifications and court injunctions continue to repeat, dissatisfaction is growing within the industry. There are calls to temporarily suspend regulations until clear judicial rulings are made and related laws are revised. An industry insider said, "Since there is still room for interpretation regarding the gambling aspects emphasized by GRAC, indiscriminate regulation should be avoided."

A GRAC official responded, "According to Supreme Court precedents, game items with liquidity can be considered prizes, so under current law, P2E games cannot receive ratings," adding, "Considering confusion among game users, we judged that preemptive blocking is reasonable."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.