Wemade and Gravity, which reported the winning odds of probability-based items higher than the actual rates or omitted probability information, have been sanctioned by the Fair Trade Commission.
On the 21st, the Fair Trade Commission announced that it would impose correction orders and fines of 2.5 million won each on Wemade and Gravity for violating the Electronic Commerce Act, totaling 5 million won. The penalty surcharge is a financial sanction imposed for breaching administrative law obligations, while fines are administrative penalties without the nature of criminal punishment.
According to the Fair Trade Commission, Wemade exaggerated the acquisition rates of some components by at least 1.76 times and up to about 3 times while selling the probability-based item "Brilliant Element Extraction of Harmony" in its game "Knight Crow." This behavior continued from Dec. 7, 2023, to Mar. 29, 2024.
Gravity was found to have provided false or omitted information regarding three probability-based items sold in "Ragnarok Online." Specifically, in the case of "Costume Enchantment Stone Box 32," it reported the actual probability as being up to 8 times higher, while the "Booster Amplifier" was labeled with a probability 5 times greater for rare items. Despite the probability decreasing for the "Sealed Boss Card Box," this change was not communicated to consumers.
Additionally, the Fair Trade Commission concluded that both companies violated their obligation to provide information under the Electronic Commerce Act by making probability information difficult to view or presenting it in a way that could mislead consumers.
The Fair Trade Commission ordered both companies to establish and report on measures to prevent discrepancies between the information on probability-based items and the actual game application figures, alongside prohibiting similar legal violations in the future. Wemade and Gravity must submit their related plans to the Fair Trade Commission within 30 days.
This action reflects that the companies voluntarily corrected the illegal activity and provided consumer refunds as part of damage relief, resulting in fines rather than a business suspension.
A Fair Trade Commission official stated, "We will strengthen monitoring of companies deceiving consumers regarding the probability information of probability-based items" and noted, "We plan to closely enforce the law so that effective prevention of recurrence and consumer damage relief can also be achieved."