KRAFTON's Trust Crisis: From Fake PUBG Drop Rates to the Ban of Vietnamese Players

In 2026, when the NewJeans Loot Pack and Premium Bundle arrived in PUBG: Battlegrounds, KRAFTON made a promise: if players failed to get an item four times in a row, the fifth attempt would guarantee it at 100%. That promise was the main reason players bought the packs. Yet after opening five, six, even seven bundles, many players never saw the promised blueprint. South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) later confirmed the real drop rate was only 9%. This was just the beginning of a series of controversies for KRAFTON. Within a year, KRAFTON faced four major scandals: sexual harassment content made with NewJeans face skins, an opaque relationship with China's Peacekeeper Elite, and a lifetime ban on Vietnamese players Himass and TanVuu at PUBG Asia Stars 2026. Each case has a different context, but all share the same pattern – misinformation, lack of transparency, and weak accountability. The current crisis of PUBG is not about the game itself, but about the policies of its maker. KRAFTON's NewJeans package included a so-called 'Pity System.' That meant after four failed attempts, the fifth would guarantee a rare blueprint. The package contained NewJeans-inspired outfits, weapon skins, emotes, and other collectibles. But many players opened more than five premium bundles and received nothing. Eventually, the PUBG team admitted that the Premium Bundle was not actually covered by the pity system, and some in-game information was incorrect. In June 2026, Yonhap reported that the FTC fined KRAFTON 2.5 million won. The real drop rate was 9%, while players were shown a 100% guarantee. This fine is symbolic compared to the revenue from loot boxes. But the bigger loss is trust. KRAFTON later refunded about 1.1 billion won to roughly 380,000 buyers and provided about 9.8 billion won in in-game compensation. Because the company voluntarily corrected the information and compensated players, the FTC did not impose a heavier penalty. But a company that first gives false information and then compensates after being caught sets a dangerous precedent for the gaming industry. South Korea's fair trade rules are getting stricter on loot box transparency, but this ruling shows the 'correct and escape' mindset is still strong. Beyond the drop rate scandal, the NewJeans collaboration created another horrifying controversy. Some players used NewJeans members' face skins to create sexually harassing images and videos. The problem was deeper because Haerin and Hyein were minors at the time. KRAFTON and ADOR, NewJeans' management company, took action – restricting the combination of NewJeans face skins with certain outfits. But this restriction drew criticism, because many believe the root problem is PUBG's customization design, which allows such open combinations that abuse becomes almost inevitable. There is a moral dilemma here. Digital avatars of public figures are not clearly regulated. But when minors' images are used in sexual content, the platform that enabled such abuse shares responsibility. KRAFTON reacted after the damage, not with prevention. As a result, this collaboration is now a negative example for many players. KRAFTON's credibility crisis deepened further over Peacekeeper Elite in China. In May 2026, PUBG Mobile shut down in China due to licensing issues. Tencent then moved players to Peacekeeper Elite – the same battle royale gameplay but with a new name, look, and certain rule changes. KRAFTON repeatedly claimed the two games were completely separate. But in 2026, ahead of its IPO, KRAFTON admitted in its securities filing that it provides technical services to Tencent for Peacekeeper Elite and receives service fees. This admission raises a simple question: was the original game repackaged as a 'new game' to secure a license? If KRAFTON was actually providing services, why was the relationship hidden? China's regulatory framework is strict, but companies often use 'technical service' contracts to avoid responsibility. This case proves again that KRAFTON does not always disclose the full truth when business interests are at stake. Investors were not informed before the IPO, which also raises corporate governance concerns. The latest and most explosive incident involved PUBG Asia Stars 2026. On September 23, 2026, KRAFTON announced that two Vietnamese players – Himass of Anyone's Legend and TanVuu of The Expendables – had used outside information, including rivals' livestreams, to make in-game decisions. In other words, they engaged in 'stream sniping.' After the investigation, KRAFTON permanently banned their accounts and barred them from all official PUBG Esports events – PGC, PGS, and PNC. The investigation began after Gen.G's Korean streamer Soopi raised the accusation. Organizers later removed Himass and TanVuu from the tournament, adjusted scores, increased livestream delay, canceled the third day of competition, and split prize money equally among teams. The punishment sparked a firestorm in Vietnam. More than 4.1 million signatures were collected demanding justice for Himass and TanVuu. Streamers Độ Mixi, PewPew, Rambo, DjChip, and Ngân Sát Thủ publicly protested, and some uninstalled PUBG. GAM x The Expendables demanded a clear explanation, while Anyone's Legend defended the players' right to due process. The key question is whether stream sniping was truly proven. KRAFTON said the investigation found evidence, but it never released that evidence. A lifetime ban for an incident in a showmatch raises questions of proportionality. If other players had been stream sniping for years, why were only these two Vietnamese players targeted? Was the Vietnamese esports community being singled out? To dispel such doubts, KRAFTON should have published a transparent investigation report and explained the penalty standards. Instead, a fast and secretive punishment only deepened suspicion. Four cases, four different dimensions – but in each, KRAFTON first gave false information, then spoke of correction after being caught. Wrong rates in drop rates, delayed action on skin abuse, hidden relationships in China, and harsh punishment without evidence in Vietnam – this pattern reveals KRAFTON's decision-making culture. PUBG is still one of the world's most popular games, but these repeated failures will raise questions among players, partners, and investors. In the future, KRAFTON must do three things. First, make loot box drop rates legally transparent and documented, so that 9% can never be shown as 100%. Second, create an evidence-based appeals process for esports penalties. Third, adopt an open policy about international partnerships. Otherwise, saying 'we have compensated' after every scandal will not save the company. In gaming, trust is worth more than money – and broken trust is not easily repaired.