Korea FTC fines 3 game companies over Loot Boxes

[NumLock21]

The Korea FTC has fine 3 game company over Loot Boxes. 3 of them are NextFloor at $4,600, Netmarble at $55,000, and Nexon got the huge chunk at $875,000.

Quote

 

The Korean FTC argued that consumers believed the odds of obtaining each piece were the same, when in fact some of the pieces would only be present in 0.5% of loot boxes. They highlighted the case of one player who spent $430 trying to get the pieces as an example of the effect that advertising was having on players.

“The FTC’s actions have signaled alarm across the Korean game sector,”, the Korea Herald piece adds, “as it could hurt the sales of in-game items — particularly randomized items, which users tend to continuously buy until they get a desired result — that contribute immensely to profits.”

 

Maybe with this, they might start to use their talent on making good games instead of relying on these stupid Loot Boxes.

 

https://kotaku.com/korean-companies-fined-950-000-over-loot-boxes-1825129253

[CTR640]

A player spending $430... Well, I'd say, it's time for the govs to step in and stop all these loot-boxes bullshit.

It will be really up to NO good and it would make the game-companies lazy af and only releasing half or whole-assed games.

Lootboxes are the digital tumor to games.

[XenosTech]

Nexon been using lootboxes since 2008 or a little longer than that. Surprised it took so long for them to get fined lol

[Eaglerino]

We brought this on ourselves, we keep buying loot boxes and microtransactions

[Cheezdoodlez]

I never heard of these companies before this so naturally I googled them. And I found a game called "counter-strike online" by Nexon. I checked the wikipeida page. A game from 2008 with the following description on wiki. 

 

Quote

Counter-Strike Online itself is free to play, but some weapons are bought using points purchased with real money. These weapons usually expire after a certain amount of time but sometimes can be purchased permanently during a promotion.

Were they the actual pioneers of this f2p p2w mess that plagues most games ten years later?

[suicidalfranco]

>spent 430$ on lootboxes

And people really think LB will die on it's own. Good luck with that.

bit of LB news, Although it doesn't matter anymore cause we're way passed the period where this game mattered: Shadow of War no longer has lootboxes, they all got stripped out

[suicidalfranco]

4 minutes ago, Cheezdoodlez said:

I never heard of these companies before this so naturally I googled them. And I found a game called "counter-strike online" by Nexon. I checked the wikipeida page. A game from 2008 with the following description on wiki. 

 

Were they the actual pioneers of this f2p p2w mess that plagues most games ten years later?

Asian regions have been doing MT waaaaaaayyyyyyyy longer than the west

[Jito463]

3 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

Shadow of War no longer has lootboxes, they all got stripped out

Really?  I may need to finally get it, then.

[XenosTech]

1 minute ago, suicidalfranco said:

>spent 430$ on lootboxes

And people really think LB will die on it's own. Good luck with that.

bit of LB news, Although it doesn't matter anymore cause we're way passed the period where this game mattered: Shadow of War no longer has lootboxes, they all got stripped out

Few years ago my clan leader in CombatArms would spend more than that a night just gifting us Hi-Sec cases, keys and cosmetics based on how well we did per round... Don't talk about clan matches, dude would just buy what ever you wanted as a much times as it took to get it permanent (if there wasn't a permanent option for it)

[suicidalfranco]

2 minutes ago, XenosTech said:

Few years ago my clan leader in CombatArms would spend more than that a night just gifting us Hi-Sec cases, keys and cosmetics based on how well we did per round... Don't talk about clan matches, dude would just buy what ever you wanted as a much times as it took to get it permanent (if there wasn't a permanent option for it)

Oh my... not sure if best clan leader ever or someone with a spending problem 

5 minutes ago, Jito463 said:

Really?  I may need to finally get it, then.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/04/no-more-buying-orcs-paid-loot-boxes-cut-from-middle-earth-shadow-of-war/ 

hot from the press

[XenosTech]

46 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

Oh my... not sure if best clan leader ever or someone with a spending problem 

Not sure if it was much of a spending problem... He didn't have any grand kids at the time so he basically treated his clan members like part of his family.... I mean he was a CFO so that was probably chump change to him

[suicidalfranco]

5 minutes ago, XenosTech said:

Not sure if it was much of a spending problem... He didn't have any grand kids at the time so he basically treated his clan members like part of his family.... I mean he was a CFO so that was probably chump change to him

never really gave importance to clans and guilds while gaming so don't really know how strong the bond is between clan leaders and members, but that to me really sounds crazy, i mean i would understand in a sports context where a coach is doing some crazy spending for his steam (in my case our coach spending in the 5 digits to award the entire team with rings when we won our first american football championship) but in vydia.... i just don't see it

[Donut417]

19 hours ago, Cheezdoodlez said:

I never heard of these companies before this so naturally I googled them. And I found a game called "counter-strike online" by Nexon. I checked the wikipeida page. A game from 2008 with the following description on wiki. 

 

Were they the actual pioneers of this f2p p2w mess that plagues most games ten years later?

Nexon has a game called Combat Arms. Its free to play, pay to win. Very similar to counter strike in many ways. It was fun, but the hackers have fucking destroyed it. 

[XenosTech]

6 hours ago, VegetableStu said:

OMG GACHAPON MACHINES IN MAPLESTORY

Forgot that was even a game lol.... they milked the shit outta that too

[XenosTech]

1 minute ago, VegetableStu said:

the funny part was that most paid cosmetics looks like they don't belong in the game, LOL

As with any game lol They probably made more than any company to date off lootboxes