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LEARN MOREFortnite developer fined $245M for duping users into unwanted charges
The Federal Trade Commision ordered Epic Games to pay $245 million to settle charges that the company tricked users into making unwanted purchases.
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March 14, 2023
The U.S. government is fining Fortnite parent company Epic Games for allegedly tricking users into making unwanted purchases in the game.
The Federal Trade commission finalized an order requiring Epic Games to pay $245 million for so-called "dark patterns" and tricks aimed at getting players to incur unwanted charges.
According to the FTC's complain, Epic also made it easy for children to rack up charges in Fortnite with the click of a single button and often without parental consent or supervision.
The complaint also accuses Epic of locking the accounts of users who disputed unauthorized charges with their credit card companies.
Fortnite launched in 2017 and quickly took the gaming world by storm, averaging an estimated 80 million monthly active users and generating $9 billion in revenue in its first two years.
The FTC says it will use the $245 million that Epic is being fined to provide refunds to customers.
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