Korea Loot Box Compliance: 5 Technical FAQs for Developers

Loot box compliance is closely connected to a game’s technical architecture. Probability information must remain accurate across server logic, in-game interfaces, websites, and live-operations updates.

However, Korean law does not prescribe one specific database structure, API, user-interface design, or deployment pipeline. Product and engineering teams must distinguish between statutory disclosure requirements and technical practices designed to satisfy those requirements reliably.

The following five FAQs address common implementation questions under Korea’s Game Industry Promotion Act and its Enforcement Decree.

Q1. How Should We Disclose a Large Pool of Potential Rewards?

Answer: All obtainable results and their applicable probabilities must be disclosed, even when the reward pool is extensive.

For a capsule-type probability-based item, operators must disclose the probability information for all game items provided according to their type, grade, and performance.

A large number of potential results does not create a general exemption.

For example, a player card pack may contain hundreds or thousands of athletes with different:

• Names
• Grades
• Positions
• Seasons
• Performance levels
• Special attributes
• Acquisition probabilities

The disclosure should enable users to identify every obtainable result and understand the probability applicable to it.

Items sharing the same rate may be organized by category or presented within a searchable table, provided that each obtainable item remains identifiable and the applicable probability is clear.

Recommended Technical Approach

For large reward pools, developers should consider:

• Generating the disclosure table directly from the approved reward configuration
• Assigning a stable item identifier to each reward
• Providing search and filter functions
• Displaying the applicable banner or package version
• Recording the effective date of each probability table
• Preventing unreleased or unobtainable items from appearing in the table
• Verifying that every live reward exists in the public disclosure

A large table may be hosted on an official website when direct in-game display is impracticable, but users must be able to reach the relevant page through the game in accordance with the applicable display requirements.

Q2. Is It Sufficient to Disclose Only the Pity-System Threshold?

Answer: No.

Simply stating that a user is guaranteed a reward after a specified number of attempts does not provide all required information.

The disclosure should explain:

• The number of attempts required to activate the guarantee
• The items obtainable through the pity system
• The probability applicable to each obtainable item
• The probability applied at each attempt when the rate changes by attempt
• Whether progress resets after obtaining a target item
• Whether progress carries over to another banner
• Whether the counter expires
• Any conditions that change the applicable pool

For example, a statement such as “SSR guaranteed within 100 pulls” may be insufficient if it does not identify the SSR items included in the guarantee or explain how the probabilities change before the 100th pull.

If the probability increases at defined thresholds, users should be able to determine the probability applicable to each relevant attempt.

If the base probability remains unchanged until the guaranteed attempt, that structure should be explained clearly. Depending on the mechanic, the information may be provided through an attempt-by-attempt table, formula, function, or text when that format is easier to understand.

Recommended Technical Approach

The pity configuration should be maintained as structured data containing:

• Banner identifier
• Attempt range
• Base probability
• Escalation thresholds
• Guaranteed attempt
• Eligible reward pool
• Reset condition
• Carry-over condition

The same approved data should be used to generate the live server configuration and the user-facing disclosure.

Q3. Must the UI Reflect Probabilities That Change with Game Progress?

Answer: The currently applicable probability and the conditions causing the change must be disclosed. However, Korean law does not mandate one specific UI implementation.

Probability information may change according to:

• Previous failed attempts
• Number of purchases or openings
• Item ownership
• User selections
• Wishlist configuration
• Enhancement level
• Fusion results
• Remaining limited rewards
• Other game-progression conditions

When such conditions change the probability, displaying only the original base rate may be insufficient.

The user should be able to understand the condition that changes the rate and identify the probability currently applicable at the relevant purchase, inquiry, or use stage.

For probabilities that vary in real time for an individual user, the applicable information may be displayed in the game. The Enforcement Decree allows individually applicable real-time probability information to be omitted from the website when it is properly displayed in-game.

Recommended Technical Approaches

Depending on the mechanic, the game may use:

• A dynamically updated probability table
• A “Current Rate” field
• An attempt-specific disclosure
• A formula showing how the rate changes
• A calculator reflecting the user’s selected conditions
• A clear textual explanation combined with the current numerical value

The legal requirement concerns accurate and accessible disclosure. The use of a real-time API, web-view, local UI calculation, or another technical method is an implementation decision.

Q4. Can Probability Information Be Provided Through an External Link?

Answer: Yes, under certain conditions. An external website alone, without an appropriate in-game access path, is generally insufficient.

The default rule is to display probability information directly in the game’s purchase, inquiry, or use screen.

However, when direct display is impracticable because the amount of information is excessive compared with the screen size or another unavoidable reason exists, the game may provide a direct link to the relevant probability information on an official website.

A button such as “View Probability Details” is a practical implementation, but Korean law does not mandate that exact label.

The link should:

• Be placed in the relevant purchase, inquiry, or use flow
• Be easy for users to identify
• Open the probability information directly
• Avoid redirecting users to a generic homepage
• Lead to the table applicable to the selected item or banner
• Remain functional after game and website updates

Website probability information must be displayed in a searchable string or numerical format. Image-only probability tables may not satisfy this requirement.

Non-Compliant or High-Risk Examples

• Providing a probability page only through a customer-service FAQ
• Linking to the official website homepage rather than the relevant table
• Requiring users to navigate through several unrelated menus
• Using a broken or region-restricted link
• Publishing the entire table only as an image
• Showing a link that refers to an outdated banner or package

Q5. Must We Continue Disclosing Items That Are No Longer for Sale?

Answer: Generally, no. The statutory disclosure obligation applies to probability-based items currently being sold.

Once a probability-based item has been officially removed from sale, ongoing disclosure is generally not required solely because users may still possess previously purchased copies.

However, several situations require additional review.

The Result Remains Available Through Another Current Product

If an old item remains obtainable from a different probability-based item that is currently being sold, it must be included in the disclosure for that current product.

The Product Is Still Obtainable Through a Paid Route

Removing an item from one store page does not necessarily end the obligation if users can still acquire it indirectly through another paid package, exchange, event, or combination.

The Sale Has Only Been Temporarily Suspended

If the item will return or remains technically purchasable in some region or platform, the operator should confirm whether it is genuinely no longer on sale.

Historical Records May Still Be Necessary

Even when continued public disclosure is not legally required, operators should preserve historical probability tables, configurations, notices, and screenshots.

These materials may be needed to respond to:

• User complaints concerning previous purchases
• Refund or compensation requests
• Regulatory inquiries
• Internal audits
• Civil claims
• Questions regarding a past game version

Technical Compliance Checklist

A defensible loot box implementation should include:

• A complete inventory of currently sold probability-based items
• A structured list of all obtainable results
• Version-controlled reward and pity configurations
• In-game access to the applicable disclosure
• Searchable website tables where external disclosure is used
• Dynamic disclosure logic for user-specific rates
• Automated checks for missing or unobtainable items
• Archived records for discontinued products
• QA evidence confirming that server and displayed rates match

For additional numerical guidance, see Korea Probability Disclosure Compliance: 5 Essential Q&As.

For a broader implementation framework, see Korea Loot Box Compliance: Probability Precision, Change Notices, and Pity Systems.  

TheGameAgent supports global game developers and publishers with probability disclosure reviews, technical compliance assessments, evidence preparation, and Korean regulatory communication.

Effective compliance requires more than a public probability table. The game’s code, live configuration, user interface, and disclosure records must describe the same system.

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