KRAFTON's Controversial Year: NewJeans Loot Box, Peacekeeper Elite, and the Himass–TanVuu Ban

On September 23, 2026, before the third day of PUBG Asia Stars began, KRAFTON announced a lifetime ban for Himass of Anyone's Legend and TanVuu of The Expendables. Their accounts were permanently closed, and they were barred from every official PUBG Esports event KRAFTON runs or approves, including PGC, PGS and PNC. I watched the replay with the sound off; the structure told me this was not just two players making a mistake—it was a crack in the whole event machine. KRAFTON's 2026–2026 period was not defined by one incident. The NewJeans loot box controversy, China's Peacekeeper Elite question, and the Vietnamese community's anger formed a chain of events. Each event is like a block; with a timestamp it becomes a blockchain, without one it is just a chain of rumors. The main issue started in 2026. PUBG collaborated with South Korean girl group NewJeans, releasing two paid products—PUBG X NewJeans Loot Pack and PUBG X NewJeans Premium Bundle. KRAFTON stated that if a player did not get a blueprint after four consecutive opens, the fifth would have a 100% drop rate. Some players bought more than five Premium Bundles and still did not receive the item. PUBG later admitted the Premium Bundle was not actually covered by the 'bad luck prevention' mechanic, and some in-game information was inaccurate. In June 2026, Yonhap reported that South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) fined KRAFTON 2.5 million won for publishing false drop-rate information in PUBG: Battlegrounds. The FTC found KRAFTON had told players they would surely get an item after four failed attempts, but the real measured rate was only 9%. KRAFTON refunded about 1.1 billion won to around 380,000 buyers and added in-game compensation worth about 9.8 billion won. Because the company corrected the information and compensated buyers, the penalty was limited to a fine. The fine was small, but the refund and compensation were huge. The real pressure on KRAFTON came not from regulators but from the gaming community. A hot take without a timestamp is just a rumor wearing confidence. The 2026 loot box controversy taught us that the displayed rate and the server rate can be two different truths. The NewJeans collaboration also produced a second scandal. Some players used face skins of NewJeans members to create sexual harassment images and videos, and Haerin and Hyein were both minors at the time. KRAFTON and ADOR responded, later blocking certain face-skin and outfit combinations. Many players argued the design system itself was part of the problem, not just user behavior. China also became a flashpoint. PUBG Mobile shut down in China in May 2026 due to licensing issues, and Tencent moved players to Peacekeeper Elite. In 2026, ZDNet Korea reported that KRAFTON disclosed in its IPO filing that it provides technical services to Tencent's Peacekeeper Elite and receives service fees. KRAFTON insists the two games are separate, but skeptics ask whether this was a way to keep PUBG operating in China. At PUBG Asia Stars 2026, Gen.G streamer Soopi accused two Vietnamese players of watching opponent livestreams. Organizers removed Himass and TanVuu, adjusted scores, increased stream delay, canceled the third day, and split prize money. KRAFTON's investigation concluded the two players used outside information, including another player's livestream, which constituted stream sniping. The Vietnamese community reacted strongly. Độ Mixi, PewPew, Rambo, DjChip and Ngân Sát Thủ protested or removed PUBG. GAM x The Expendables demanded transparency, while Anyone's Legend defended the players' right to due process. An online petition gathered more than 4.1 million signatures. The debate moved from guilt or innocence to the severity of the punishment, event management, and whether the same standard applies to all regions. I am now arguing against my own thesis. KRAFTON may not be a villain; a large corporation is a complex machine, and every machine can fail. Evidence exists against Himass and TanVuu, and punishment followed. But the same machine allowed a display-rate versus server-rate gap in the NewJeans loot box, showed no transparency about China, and left the Vietnamese community feeling that two players were sacrificed in a showmatch event. I could be wrong if stronger evidence against them emerges, but fast punishment is not the same as fair process. Fair process needs time, replay review, and one standard for everyone. The next 12 months will test KRAFTON. Will full replays and audit logs be released at the 2027 PUBG Asia tournament? Will loot box probabilities be timestamped in every patch? Will the Peacekeeper Elite relationship become transparent? A hot take without a timestamp is just a rumor wearing confidence. Unless KRAFTON writes in its next operating report that it remembers its past mistakes, community trust will dry out even further.