Pity / hard pity disclosure checklist before a gacha season ships
JOGA gacha display and expected-value rules as an operator gate before a season banner ships. Not a universal statute for every market.
Consumer-protection pressure and store review make disclosure an ops gate before a gacha season ships. Start from a read from the source industry guideline — then layer jurisdiction counsel.
JOGA minimums
The JOGA ランダム型アイテム提供方式における表示および運営ガイドライン (document dated 2012-08-02 / effective 2012-09-01; PDF read from the source 20 September 2026) requires, among other items: displaying all obtainable gacha items; displaying rare items when offered; disclosing limited counts/periods; advance display of rate-change conditions and direction when campaigns alter rates; disclosing duplicate possibility; and promptly disclosing defects.
For rare-item settings, members must satisfy any one of: (a) expected spend to obtain a rare ≤ 100× single pull price, else show the estimate or multiple; (b) expected spend ≤ 50,000 yen, else show the estimate; (c) show rare rate upper and lower bounds; or (d) show rates by item type. Empty-pull paid gacha is prohibited. Misleading superiority claims are prohibited. JOGA’s clarification page stresses that a–d are alternatives and that 50,000 yen is an estimated amount, not a hard player spend cap.
Pre-ship checklist
- Banner rate table matches live server config hash; record approver (JOGA ops section expects a named operations owner and written approval).
- Pity / hard-pity counters: if advertised, state reset rules on the same surface as rates.
- If rates change mid-season, publish change direction and conditions before the change (guideline prefers by the day prior).
- UA creative claims (EV, “guaranteed by N”) must match the published a–d path you actually use.
- Counsel review for KR/EU/US/CN outbound creatives — JOGA is not a global statute.
Facts vs limits
| Fact | Limit |
|---|---|
| JOGA a–d options and display duties are in the PDF | Guideline applies to JOGA members’ services; not every Western studio is a member |
| Clarification page rejects “hard 50k spend cap” misread | KR/EU legal duties may be stricter or differently framed |
| Empty pulls prohibited under this guideline | Hard pity is a design pattern; JOGA text centres rates/EV display |
