Video game company NC (formerly NCSoft) announced on April 7 that it had filed a lawsuit against popular Korean youtuber younglaegi on charges of spreading misinformation and obstructing business.
As reported by Munhwa Journal 21, younglaegi, who at the time of writing has around 290k subscribers, had allegedly been spreading false information regarding the company’s handling of the recently released game Lineage Classic. Lineage Classic is a revival of NCSoft’s long-running desktop MMORPG series Lineage, and has been available to play in South Korea and Taiwan since February this year.
The dispute was ignited when the YouTuber claimed that NC deliberately turned a blind eye to players who used illegal “cheating” programs, while banning players who reported the misconduct. In a video titled “Why macro farms won’t go away in Linege Classic,” posted on February 22, younglaegi talks about the “rampant usage” of automation macros (programming commands that “save time” by allowing you to perform multiple actions with one button press), explaining that this behavior “prevented regular users from even approaching the hunting grounds.” According to the video, Lineage Classic features an item which allows players to report cheaters to the game administrators, and as the YouTuber claims, when one player made approximately 2000 reports “as a test,” their own character was sent to the in-game prison the next day.
According to NC, following an internal investigation, as well as multiple reviews by internal and external experts, it has been confirmed that the contents of the video are false. The company also stated that this action negatively impacted the reputation of its game services and contributed to disrupting its anti-cheat report system.
Addressing the controversy, NC also expressed that, while feedback regarding gameplay and service quality is always welcome, it would also be taking proactive measures against defamation and dissemination of false information that could hinder the smooth provision of their services. Additionally, the company emphasized that it is determined to maintain a strict approach towards cheaters, having enacted anti-cheating measures over 105 times in the past, restricting more than 5.9 million accounts in the process.
With disinformation and slander being on the rise on modern-day social networks and Internet platforms, it seems like many companies, including those in Japan, have decided to take a firm stance against such behavior, even taking legal measures when necessary. The most recent example of this would be Square Enix’s takedown of the Japanese Final Fantasy XIV aggregator news blog Netoge Sokuho. Allegedly, the blog had been publishing problematic content that harmed the reputations of Square Enix executives and employees. Following negotiations with the blog’s owner, the two parties reached a settlement, and the owner agreed to make a public apology, shut down the site for good, and pay an undisclosed amount as compensation.
Related articles:
