Epic Games has been fined €1,125,000 (more than $1.2 million) in the Netherlands over issues related to the Fortnite Item Shop. The country’s Authority for Consumers and Markets found that the company “failed to observe the required care that can be reasonably expected from traders when dealing with children.” The fine claims that certain language on the Item Shop is designed to make children fear missing out on cosmetics, and can often prove misleading. The fine boils down to two specific violations, each of which will cost the company €562,500.
The first of the fines from the ACM refers to an “illegal aggressive commercial practice.” Basically, the ACM is alleging that phrases such as “get it now” and “buy now” that appear on certain ads are too aggressive. The second fine relates to the countdown timers that appear in the Item Shop. The ACM claims that these timers invoke a fear in children that they’re going to miss out if they don’t make a purchase. The fine also cites examples of countdowns that were misleading, with the items being still available to purchase even after the timer expired.
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Epic Games has been given a deadline of June 10th to make the necessary changes to the Item Shop. While the company plans to address some of these specific issues in the Netherlands, it’s worth noting that there have already been changes made to the countdown timers throughout the world over the last few months.
Epic Games Responds
In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz, Epic Games pushed back against the findings by the ACM. While the company does plan to make changes to address the violations, it will be appealing the fines, and has stated that the proposed changes would actually make for a worse experience for consumers.
“The findings in the ACM’s decision contain significant factual errors about how Fortnite and the Item Shop operate. The ACM is mandating changes that would result in a poor experience for players. We will appeal this decision,” the statement from Epic Games reads. “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.”
Games as a Service Targeting Children
As games like Fortnite have exploded in popularity around the world, consumer advocacy groups have been paying close attention to how these games target and exploit children. The reality is, a lot of children are more susceptible to microtransactions, and we’ve already seen how quickly that can become problematic for players and their families. It’s difficult to say whether the ACM’s proposed changes would have a positive impact on consumers in the Netherlands, but it will be interesting to see how the appeal plays out for Epic Games.
Do you think the Fortnite Item Shop exploits younger players? Are you happy to see consumer advocacy groups keeping a closer eye on the situation? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: GamesIndustry.biz]
