Dutch consumer group files lawsuit against Epic for misleading young players on Fortnite, seeking more than €100m in compensation

Dutch consumer group files lawsuit against Epic for misleading young players on Fortnite, seeking more than €100m in compensation "Epic deliberately designed the game to pressure players into buying. Young consumers are supposed to be protected from exactly that," says group Original story: The Dutch consumer group Stichting Massaschade & Consument (SMC) has filed a class action lawsuit against Epic Games, alleging it has misled young Fortnite players. According to research cited by the foundation, among more than 1,000 Dutch teenagers aged 16 to 19, "six in 10 buyers of currencies such as V-Bucks said it didn't feel like real money, and half said they had regretted a purchase made under time pressure." SMC has served Epic with a formal notice of liability and offered to negotiate a settlement. In 2024, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) fined Epic €1,125,000, citing "unfair commercial practices" through design choices in its item shop which "exploited [the] vulnerabilities" of children.