The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has fined Epic Games – the Fortnite developer – $245 million to compensate consumers for expenses related to accidental purchases of game items from the developer’s digital store. The claims settlement process announced in December has been completed.
Image source: epicgames.com
“An unintuitive, inconsistent, and misleading button configuration in Fortnite caused players to make unintended payments with a single button press.”– Quotes TechCrunch FTC Statement. The agency also accused Epic Games of allowing minors in their games to make free purchases without parental consent. The developer is also instructed to stop the practice “Digital Design Tricks” — Ban dark patterns that provoke unconscious purchases, as well as blocking of user accounts that tried to contest the write-off of funds for digital goods and services.
The company will pay another $275 million in fines for violations related to the processing of data from Fortnite users under the age of 13: Under US law, Epic Games had no right to collect information about children such as full names and contact details without parents Approval. The company also couldn’t release Fortnite without parental controls and protections against minors, which make up the bulk of its player base.
Even before announcing the settlement with the FTC, the developer announced a new type of limited account (cabined account) for underage players of Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys. If the date of birth entered by the user during registration is less than 13 years old or otherwise lower than the “Digital Consent Age” in their country, the account will be given restricted rights and the player will be asked to provide the email address of the parent who grants the necessary permissions.
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