Fortnite maker Epic Games has said it will fight back against a €1.1m (£968k) fine levied by the Dutch consumer regulator, which has accused the company of “unfair commercial practices aimed at children”.
An investigation by The Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) claims Epic Games “exploited the vulnerabilities of children” through “various design choices for its offerings in its Item Shop”.
This included, the ACM says, using ads aimed at encouraging kids to make purchases with slogans such as “get it now”, and “misleading” sale countdown timers that gave the impression certain items would be removed from sale before they ultimately were. The ACM states Fortnite therefore violated “requirements of professional diligence”.
In Epic Games’ response, shared with Eurogamer, the company says the ACM’s decision contains “significant factual errors about how Fortnite and the Item Shop operate” and that “the ACM is mandating changes that would result in a poor experience for players”, which it will now appeal.