Online game’Maple Story’ hastily released a second apology.
At the dawn of the 1st, Kang Won-ki, director of Maple Story of Nexon Korea, posted a long apology using the site announcement. Director Kang admitted that he said, “I had a great fear of a public opinion situation that I have not experienced so far,” and “continued to make wrong decisions in a direction that does not match the will of customers who love Maple Story.”
The biggest problem with this situation, mentioned by Director Kang, is’the inertia of live service development maintained by MapleStory for a long time, and the operation method that provides only minimal information is maintained’. After starting the official service in 2003, various contents were added and there were many changes to the game system, but there was no specific guide for this. The same is true of the present, reaching 2021.
This is an acknowledgment of the fact that users who don’t know how the game works have been making money for 18 years, just as they pay if they pay endlessly.
This apology is the second apology following the first apology published on the 19th. The explanation of why this issue occurred in the system was not very different from the first apology. However, in the second apology, in more detail, MapleStory’s current feelings and determination as to how it will operate in the future were contained.
However, it is unclear whether the public sentiment that has already turned around can be brought back.
Earlier, it was pointed out that MapleStory did not operate with the same probability of’probability-type items’, which randomly grants additional options to pick an item, and a great controversy arose. Probability-type items are’drawing-type products’ whose types and effects are determined by chance when a user purchases items for a fee.
The first suspicion of’probability manipulation’ arose when MapleStory released the update on the 18th of last month. During this day’s announcement, “All kinds of additional options that can be given to items will be modified to be given with the same probability.” This made users question the question,’wasn’t it given with the same probability until now?’
It is pointed out whether the so-called’probability manipulation’ was done.
In particular,’Fire of Reincarnation’ can increase the value of an item by continuing to give additional options. The high-grade’Fire of Reincarnation’ can only be purchased at events or coin shops, and it is difficult to obtain because it is expensive. The feeling of betrayal is even greater because there are users who have made “hyeonjil” (purchasing game items with cash) from as little as hundreds of thousands of won to as many as tens of thousands of won to obtain this option.
Users also staged a demonstration at a truck stand with protest phrases from the ‘0 Won Challenge’, which lowered the monthly cash charge limit to 0 won.
In the end, on the 24th of last month, the National Assembly even proposed a “all amendment to the game law,” which mandates the disclosure of the probability of “drawing a probability item” by law. The amendment proposed by Representative Lee Sang-heon and Democratic Party lawmaker is that it regulates games that manipulate speculation by excessive’probability-type item drawing’ without disclosing probability.
However, the Korea Game Industry Association argues that “balance is one of the most essential parts for the fun of the game, such as limiting high-end items to less than a certain percentage,” and “It is also a representative trade secret managed by business operators.”