Epic ordered to pay $245 million in refunds for ‘tricking’ Fortnite players

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has finalized an order given to Epic Games made in December, requiring the massive games developer and publisher to pay $245 million in refunds to Fortnite players for using “dark patterns to trick players into making unwanted purchases.”

In the official FTC statement, the Commission says that Epic “deployed a variety of design tricks” that were aimed at getting consumers of all ages, most notably children, to make unintended in-game purchases. The Commission placed the blame on “Fortnite’s counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration,” and said Epic made it easy for children to make purchases without parental consent.

About Post Author