Epic Games Faces $1.2 Million Fine Over “Unfair Practices,” Plans to Fight Back
Fortnite’s parent company is in hot water overseas after the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) imposed a fine of €1.125 million on Epic Games for what they consider to be “unfair commercial practices aimed at children.” The fine, which is made up of two separate charges, claims that children’s vulnerabilities were exploited through language in Fortnite’s item shop.
The case, which is publicly viewable on ACM’s website, claims that an investigation into Fortnite uncovered aggressive language that ACM believes exhorted children into making purchases. This language included phrases such as “Get it now” and “Buy now,” which are apparently pushy enough for a fine of 562,500 euros.
The second fine, which also amounts to 562,500 euros, was imposed for allegedly “false” timers in the item shop. According to ACM, these timers created a sense of urgency by counting down next to certain items in the shop, even though they noticed several items still available after their timers had hit zero.
Both of these practices play into what ACM refers to as violations of the “requirements of professional diligence.” Essentially, they believe that Epic’s store practices are predatory and do not properly exercise caution in advertising to children. While Epic has promised to make several changes to comply with ACM’s guidelines, they’re still intent on charging them over $1.2 million USD.
Epic has responded to the claims in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz:
“The findings in the ACM’s decision contain significant factual errors about how Fortnite and the Item Shop operate. The ACM is mandating changes that would result in a poor experience for players. We will appeal this decision.
While our appeal is pending, players in the Netherlands that are under the age of 18 will not be able to see or purchase items that are in the shop for less than 48 hours, beginning May 24, 2024.”
As per usual, Epic is looking to take the law to its extreme and push back against claims made in opposition to them. Epic’s had a long, storied history in legal battles and there’s a chance that this will add another chapter to that book. They’ve definitely got the money for it after Disney’s recent $1.5 billion investment, so the ball seems to be in ACM’s court now.
We’ll be sure to update readers as soon as the situation progresses.
[Source: Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets]
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