Epic, the maker of the popular battle royale game Fortnite, which has now branched off into many other games like LEGO Fortnite, has been fined…once again for micro transaction mechanics which are relating to exploiting children. This happened last time with the US Federal Trade Commission, according to GamesRadar. However, this time it is with the Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets, they have now fined Epic for $1.2 million – the reasoning being “unfair commercial practices aimed at children in Fortnite.”
Sometime last month there was a statement that was released by Epic that some cosmetic colors and also tiers were being removed, also saying that the in-game shop would: “instead display the player’s local time when the Item Shop will refresh and items may leave the Shop – the date that an item will rotate out of the shop.”
Today however, Epic made another statement as well saying: “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.”
However, it is also being argued from ACM that “companies need to do business with the utmost care, particularly when offering products to children.”
It then goes on to be discussed that Fortnite can cause children to be pressured to make purchases with so many ads directly asking children to make purchases, and then also using countdowns and timers on the items as well to add to it.
