[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The issue of 'probability-based items,' which has been the hottest topic in the gaming industry, is expected to be a major issue at the upcoming National Assembly audit next month.
According to political circles on the 22nd, the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee selected Kim Jung-ju, founder of Nexon, and Kang Won-ki, director of MapleStory, as witnesses for the audit held on the 16th. This is to question the allegations of probability manipulation in probability-based items.
Earlier this year, Nexon faced difficulties due to controversy over probability manipulation in 'MapleStory.' The controversy arose when they announced an update stating that "all types of additional options that can be granted to items will be modified to be granted with the same probability."
Users strongly opposed this, questioning whether the probabilities had not been equal before, leading to protests such as the zero-won challenge and truck demonstrations, and some users even migrated to games like Smilegate's 'Lost Ark.'
Subsequently, Nexon took steps to evolve by fully disclosing the probabilities of paid probability-based items, revealing the detailed probabilities of the cash item 'Cube' in MapleStory. However, it sparked even greater outrage among users when it was revealed that some potential ability options could be set up to a maximum of only two out of three.
NCSoft is also unlikely to escape criticism from the National Assembly. This is because 'Lineage' is a representative game that uses probability-based items as a business model. Currently, the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee is pushing to select Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft, as a witness for the audit.
Particularly this year, there is keen interest in whether Kim's stance on probability-based items will change. Previously, when Kim appeared as a witness at the 2018 National Assembly audit, he clearly denied allegations of promoting gambling related to 'Lineage M.'
At that time, he emphasized, "'Lineage M' is not a game where you hope for luck and acquire money or goods," adding, "Gambling is playing a game with money or goods at stake, and gambling addiction is acquiring money or goods by chance. The items obtained by 'Lineage M' users are items for the game."
However, as the company recently faced crises such as brand value and stock price decline and user attrition, changes in Kim's approach have been detected. In a message sent to all employees on the 17th, Kim stated, "It is a time for change. We will accurately identify the problems and devise alternatives," signaling a shift in management strategy. He also said, "For the sake of challenge and change, even if it feels unfamiliar and uncomfortable at first, we will change what needs to be changed," and "We will make every effort to transform into the image that customers expect."
Meanwhile, this year's audit is also expected to address working environment issues in the gaming industry. Krafton is anticipated to be the main target of this issue. In February this year, Krafton was suspected of violating the 52-hour workweek system by arbitrarily manipulating employees' working hours.
Krafton checks clock-in and clock-out times by tagging employee ID cards, but internal whistleblowers revealed that some department heads instructed 'manipulation of attendance records,' sparking controversy over 'manipulation of the 52-hour workweek.' On various community sites such as Blind, there were continuous reports from employees about the excessive work intensity at Krafton.
In this regard, the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee has requested Kim Chang-han, CEO of Krafton, to appear as a witness.
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