Nexon CEO Apologizes Over 'Probability-Based Items' Controversy, Promises "Transparent Disclosure"

Published 05 Mar.2021 11:01(KST)

Lee Jeongheon, CEO of Nexon Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Lee Jeongheon, CEO of Nexon Korea, apologized on the 5th for the recent controversy surrounding probability-based items (loot boxes).

In an internal message that day, CEO Lee said, "Everything is entirely the responsibility of the management, including myself," and added, "I sincerely feel deeply sorry for not meeting the expectations of users who love Nexon games."

He continued, "The standards by which Nexon and Nexon games are viewed are changing, and society's standards for games are also changing," adding, "It is clear that I failed to recognize these changes and remained stagnant. I reflect on this."

Recently, Nexon sparked controversy by announcing an update to the game "MapleStory" stating that "all types of additional options that can be applied to items will be granted with the same probability."

Users strongly reacted, questioning, "Wasn't the probability always the same before?" Protests such as the zero-won challenge and truck sit-ins followed, and some users even migrated to other games like Smilegate's "Lost Ark."

CEO Lee stated, "Starting today, we will disclose information about probability-based items in the games Nexon services," and added, "We intend to steadily work on embedding the principle of transparent information disclosure for users."

Meanwhile, probability-based items, which are a major source of revenue for domestic game companies, are a type of "loot box." Users cannot know which item they will obtain before purchase. Due to issues such as extremely low odds comparable to lottery winnings, these items have been criticized for causing excessive spending by users.