The creators of the popular video game Fortnite, Epic Games, have agreed to pay a total of $520 million to resolve US government claims that they deceived millions of gamers, including kids and teenagers, into making unintended purchases.
The Federal Trade Commission and the corporation claimed on Monday that it also improperly obtained children’s personal information, infringing a significant federal law protecting children’s privacy.
A record $275 million will be spent on enforcing privacy laws. Additionally, the business will implement strict default privacy settings for children.
According to the FTC, Epic Games will also pay $245 million to reimburse customers who were tricked into making purchases by so-called ‘dark patterns.’
‘Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that tricked Fortnite users, including teenagers and children,’ said FTC Chair Lina Khan in a statement.
Reponding to the settlement, Epic said that ‘pay-to-win’ and ‘pay-to-progress’ mechanics that come into play when two players compete against each, had been eliminated. Random item loot boxes were already eliminated in 2019.
For saving payment options, players will have an explicit yes/no option to choose from.
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