Dutch authorities today fined Epic Games, the maker of the online video game Fortnite, €1.1 million, judging that vulnerable children are being exploited and pressured to make purchases on the game’s online store.
The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) imposed two different fines totalling €1.1 million on Epic Games after finding that underage players “risk feeling pressured in many ways to make purchases”. The ACM imposed the first fine for expressions used by the game such as “Get it now” or “Buy now”. Ads that directly encourage children to make purchases are “unlawful and aggressive commercial practice in any event”, according to the authority.
The second fine was imposed for ‘misleading’ countdown timers that pressure children to make purchases quickly, leading them to believe the item will disappear at the end of the countdown – sometimes incorrectly.
‘Children’s vulnerabilities have been exploited and as a result they are being pressured to make purchases,’ said ACM board member Katotie Imanse van den Berg.
‘With this decision, we are sending a clear message: children should be able to play online games without undue pressure,’ she said. The Authority ordered Epic Games to comply with the order by 10 June 2024.
‘The results….contain significant substantive errors regarding the operation of Fortnite and the Item Shop,’ the company said in a statement, disputing the order. Epic Games has already implemented several changes, including the elimination of Item Shop countdown timers worldwide, ACM said.
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For the Netherlands, the company will only offer purchases in Fortnite’s Item Shop that are available for 48 hours or more. ‘The ACM is of the opinion that Epic will comply with the above binding guidelines,’ the statement said, adding that it will check back after June 10.
However, Epic Games, for its part, claimed that the changes would lead to a ‘poor experience for players’.
