The Dutch Consumer and Markets Authority (ACM) has imposed two fines on Epic Games totaling over 1.1 million euros. The agency concluded that the company used unfair commercial practices in Fortnite in relation to young players.
Fortnite
ACM pointed out that the developers explicitly encouraged children to shop in Fortnite. For example, they added phrases like "buy it now" to ads. Epic Games was fined 562.5 thousand euros for aggressive advertising.
For another 562.5 thousand euros, the company was fined for using misleading timers that count down the time until items disappear from sale in the Fortnite in-game store. The agency noticed that sometimes items are still available for purchase after the timers stop working. According to the regulator, Epic Games, using timers, intends to create a sense of scarcity among Fortnite users and motivate them to buy something as soon as possible.
Epic Games must fix the violations by June 10, 2024. The company has already responded to ACM's claim and announced that it has started making changes to Fortnite.