Recent law enforcement reveals multiple Korean gacha games had not been using informed rates.
Gacha games, a popular genre in the Korean gaming market, have recently come under scrutiny following a significant legal change. On March 22, a new Korean law mandated the disclosure of gacha rates, altering how game companies report the odds of obtaining rare in-game items.
Previously, these rates were self-reported under guidelines from an association of gaming companies, leading to discrepancies in the reported probabilities. This voluntary system often resulted in rates that favored the house but weren’t transparent to players.
This issue came to light when several well-known games adjusted their reported item drop rates post-law enforcement, indicating they had previously reported higher chances of obtaining rare items than were actually programmed in the games. Titles such as Ragnarok Origin, MU Archangel, and Night Crows showcased significant disparities in their originally reported and newly adjusted rates.
In Ragnarok, the probability for certain premium items was ten times less than initially claimed, dropping from 0.8% to a mere 0.1%. MU Archangel disclosed that some items had a 0% chance of being won in the first 150 pulls, a fact not shared in the original rate. Meanwhile, Night Crows had advertised a rare item chance of 0.00396%, which was corrected to an even lower 0.002%.
The findings, shared by Chainrush, suggested these “corrections” were made only because failing to comply could result in severe penalties under the new regulations. This law was a direct response to ongoing issues within the gacha game community, where undisclosed or misleading rate information had led to player outrage and mistrust.
The gaming companies involved claim these discrepancies were accidental, yet no errors that increased player benefits were reported. This has led to skepticism among the gaming community, reinforcing the belief that without strict oversight, companies might not act in the players’ best interests.
This incident highlights the importance of transparency in gaming, where trust between players and developers can significantly impact game popularity and success. As the industry continues to adapt to these new regulations, it remains to be seen how this will affect the gacha gaming landscape in Korea and potentially worldwide.