Epic Games won’t fight €1.1M fine over Fortnite ads targeting kids
Epic Games hasn’t filed an appeal over allegations that it unfairly encouraged kids to make online purchases in Fortnite. This means the €1.125 million fine imposed by the District Court of Rotterdam is final.
Gamer plays Fortnite, online game made by Epic Games. Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves/Getty.
Epic Games hasn’t filed an appeal over allegations that it unfairly encouraged kids to make online purchases in Fortnite. This means the €1.125 million fine imposed by the District Court of Rotterdam is final.
The game developer could have filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal, but failed to do so within the time limit.
“This means that the decision [by the District Court of Rotterdam, ed.] has now become final,” a spokesperson of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) told Tweakers.net.
The case centers on how Epic Games sells digital items to gamers. According to the Dutch competition regulator, advertising in the game Fortnite directly encouraged children to make purchases and forced them to make decisions under time pressure about unclear and complex offers.
To encourage young gamers to spend more money on in-game items, the game developer used slogans like “Get it now” or “Grab it.” It even displayed countdown timers, creating a sense of scarcity, as players would otherwise miss out on the offer. However, these timers were false and designed to encourage players to make purchases.
The ACM called this “an aggressive commercial practice that is prohibited under all circumstances.”
In January, the District Court of Rotterdam ruled in favor of the regulator, arguing that children are more susceptible to scarcity claims and therefore make more impulse purchases.
“The court finds that the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets has demonstrated that the commercial practice described could significantly distort the economic behavior of children,” the judge ruled.
Epic Games responded by saying it had already made adjustments to its shop. For example, players under the age of 18 can’t buy items that are available in the Item Shop for less than 48 hours. The game developer also pointed out that parents can set a PIN code to authorize in-game purchases.
Lastly, players under the age of 16 can’t make purchases with real money without parental consent.
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