NOVEL NEXT Chapter 92
The legislation regulating probability-based items has been enacted.
For a long time, game companies had been hiding under the banner of self-regulation.
But their cover was blown due to legal regulation, exposing their business models to the world.
Of course, this applied to all mobile and PC game companies alike.
And the users, as if they had been waiting for this moment, began acting swiftly.
[Nickname: Anonymous]
[Title: Compiling examples of probability manipulation—and wow, these guys are so creative in ripping us off!]
The most common instances involve discrepancies between self-regulated probability rates and regulated rates.
These guys all claim they didn’t know about the errors and fixed them as soon as they recognized them—haha, sure.
Who would believe that?
Meanwhile, Enson Korea certainly lived up to their reputation.
During a recent event with a special attack feature, there was a gacha event where players could obtain character skins by collecting fragments numbered 1 through 8.
Once all the fragments are collected, the skin is complete.
However, these guys didn’t just follow the stated probabilities—they implemented a variable system where the more skin fragments you collected, the lower your chances of getting more became.
This form of “complete gacha,” which has already been banned in Japan for five years, is still thriving in Korea, making it legendary for its nastiness.
[Comment Section][Registered Order]
– Was the term “Donson” coined for no reason? Haha.
– What about Enson GT?
– They’re mutants, man! Haha!
– Honestly, if Jihojin wasn’t tightly controlling them, they’d have fallen into the same trouble.
– Amidst all this chaos, Daehojin remains spotless… Should we worship him?
– We worship you, Great Ho-jin.
Users who had been collecting probability-related data began exposing game companies’ manipulations.
As a result, game companies caught in the users’ investigative web had no choice but to admit to manipulation and grovel.
They must have accumulated quite a lot of bad karma.
The number of companies caught before the regression was smaller than before, likely because the legislation was implemented earlier than in the original timeline.
Many mobile games that were caught for probability manipulation hadn’t even been released yet.
Should we be grateful that these issues were thwarted before they could harm users?
With regret, we wished this had happened before the regression as well, and hurriedly prepared for our tasks.
***
Kang Han-sung, the director of Age of Odin, was currently experiencing the greatest crisis of his game development career.
The reason was, of course, the regulation on probability-based items.
Initially, there were no issues.
The paid probability-based items that were subject to regulation were indeed functioning as advertised.
However, problems began arising with the “Ancient God’s Flame,” heavily modified right before the regulation was implemented.
A user discovered the fact that the bonus option probabilities for the Ancient God’s Flame had been altered, sparking outrage.
[Nickname: Anonymous]
[Title: I found something suspicious in the Age of Odin test server patch notes…]
Isn’t it written in the item tooltip that additional random options would be granted?
But why is there a patch note saying that the probability of granting all possible additional options will now be made equal?
That means it wasn’t truly random after all.
You guys are scamming us with these costly items.
[Comment Section][Registered Order]
– It’s true.
– Link to the announcement, please.
– Damn, is Age of Odin falling apart too?
– Honestly, this seems even worse compared to other game companies.
When it was revealed that the Ancient God’s Flame did not operate according to its tooltip but had a completely different underlying logic, users were furious.
It wasn’t just tweaking probabilities; it was outright deception to contradict the official tooltips.
Moreover, the Ancient God’s Flame was an expensive item with limited availability.
Understanding the reality, users began taking action.
They filed complaints with media outlets, flooded community forums, and held in-game protests.
With adversities erupting in all directions, Kang Han-sung had no choice but to bow before the users.
However, the apology issued the next day didn’t quell public outrage, leading Kang Han-sung to be summoned by the department head who recognized the gravity of the situation.
In the office of the Enson Korea Live Division department head.
The department head, Choi Tae-hyun, glared at Kang Han-sung with his sharp eyes as he walked into the room.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
In that atmosphere, Kang Han-sung could do nothing but lower his head.
“Hey, Kang Han-sung.”
“Ah, yes… Department Head.”
“Do you realize how serious your screw-up was?”
“…Yes, I do.”
Even though the Ancient God’s Flame issue wasn’t entirely his fault, Kang Han-sung couldn’t tell the department head that.
If he brought it up, it would come off as an admission of incompetence.
It was an absurd situation, but that’s what being the ultimate manager entails.
“Right after clocking in today, I was called for a private meeting with the Chairman.”
“…”
“From the neighboring company, Enson GT… Do you know Jihojin?”
Of course, it was a name he couldn’t not know—it was the instigator of the current situation.
Han-sung suppressed his rising anger as best as he could and replied.
“…Yes.”
“His advice was to contact Jihojin for help.”
“Huh?”
Even hearing the department head’s suggestion firsthand, Kang Han-sung could hardly believe it.
Help from whom?
Jihojin?
“Is this really true?”
Choi Tae-hyun nodded at Kang Han-sung’s question.
“What’s so strange about it, anyway…”
“I don’t know. Who can read the Chairman’s mind?”
After drinking a sip of coffee, the department head continued.
“And Han-sung, I know what you think of Jihojin, but don’t bring personal feelings into this. This is your last chance—pull yourself together and handle this properly. Understood?”
The department head’s stern warning sent shivers down Kang Han-sung’s spine.
“Understood…”
***
Currently, before my eyes, Kang Han-sung sat with a troubled expression, sipping coffee.
It all began with a phone call.
From Kang Han-sung during work hours.
Given the circumstances, I knew there was bad blood between us, but he called because of the Chairman’s order.
Apparently, the Chairman had instructed him to seek my help.
Should I believe this?
In any case, since he seemed sincere, I agreed to meet at a café, where Kang Han-sung awaited me.
“Hello, I am the Branch Director Jihojin from Enson GT.”
After approaching and greeting him, Kang Han-sung stood up and bowed.
“I am the Director of Age of Odin, Kang Han-sung.”
We exchanged introductions and business cards, then transitioned into discussions.
“Director Jihojin, given the urgency, could you advise on how to handle this situation?”
“Before that, may I ask a single question?”
“Yes, please ask anything.”
“Thank you. Do you still believe that I am primarily responsible for this situation?”
“Uh… Is this question necessary?”
“It is.”
Kang Han-sung looked flustered upon receiving such a direct question.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to ask this straight out.
“Well, yes… How exactly did you know what I thought?”
“Didn’t Director mention this in your direct complaint to our President?”
“Ah…”
Realizing how I knew what he was thinking, his discomfort only deepened.
Ignoring his reaction, I began speaking.
“To resolve this situation, first, you need to change that perspective—that nothing would have happened without me.”
“But, that’s not fair…”
I cut off his protest before he could continue.
“Let me finish.”
“…Alright.”
“The regulation on probability-based items would have been enacted eventually, whether you agree or not.”
“Hmm…”
Han-sung clearly didn’t believe me, but I continued anyway.
“On the bright side, it’s good that the issue came to light earlier. This gives an opportunity to fix the distorted business model with minimal damage.”
“I understand your point, Director Jihojin, but what exactly do you suggest I do?”
“The first thing you need to do is not issue a written apology; instead, start a live stream and sincerely apologize to the users face-to-face.”
“But if even written apologies have failed, do you think live apologies will win back public trust?”
“Not by themselves, no. They need to be sincere, paired with appropriate compensation. These aren’t mere solutions but the bare minimum owed to users.”
Of course, this advice was only possible given the current state of Age of Odin.
If we look back to before the regression—a few years down the line—the advice might have leaned more toward preparing for legal battles.
“Also, you need to remove the problematic business model.”
Upon hearing that he should eliminate one of the key pillars supporting his game’s economy, Han-sung questioned with disbelief.
“Even if we fix it and tweak some content… isn’t that still too drastic?”
“The label ‘scam game’ will continue to follow your game.”
“…”
Han-sung’s expression clearly showed irritation with my statement.
It must be frustrating and nerve-wracking—having to eliminate a revenue model worth tens of billions, not due to his fault, but the fault of previous directors.
“Isn’t there any other way?”
“No, not in the current situation.”
At my decisive answer, Han-sung let out a sigh.
Reluctantly, he nodded.
“Thank you for your advice, Director Jihojin… I’ll give it some more thought. Excuse me.”
With that, Han-sung stood up, his face filled with worries.
He was undoubtedly conflicted over whether to follow my advice or not.
Well, he’ll figure it out on his own.
Even if I offer the best option, there’s nothing I can do if the party involved refuses to act on it.