FTC Finalizes Order Requiring Fortnite maker Epic Games to Pay $245 Million for Tricking Users into Making Unwanted Charges
FTC will use the money to provide refunds to consumers

The Federal Trade Commission has finalized an order requiring Epic Games, the maker of the Fortnite video game, to pay $245 million to consumers to settle charges that the company used dark patterns to trick players into making unwanted purchases and let children rack up unauthorized charges without any parental involvement.

As part of a separate settlement, also announced in December, Epic agreed to pay a $275 million penalty to settle FTC allegations that the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule.

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/03/ftc-finalizes-order-requiring-fortnite-maker-epic-games-pay-245-million-tricking-users-making

1 year ago

Comment has been collapsed.

still never touched epic
wheres the leaked chart saying they wont make a profit until 2024, gotta push that back now

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I hate how long it takes to load, and the push for exclusives is always annoying, but also only for a short period of time.

Do you not like free games every week?

I do, but have the funny tendency to prefer adding games to Steam, over EGS. So it's weird and unbalanced.
Trying to switch over to just using GOG galaxy, but meh...

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

And so they proceeded to give zero fucks and change absolutely nothing while raking in billions. The End.
(Until the next slap on the wrist.)

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

This. It's a penny out of pocket for them. They'll add some "not a child" check before purchasing and protect themselves in the future.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

If you manage to scam people for $5+ Billions yearly and only have to pay $245M once, that's asking them to keep doing it.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Amatuers.
Wallstreet makes more money and pays smaller fines.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Deleted

This comment was deleted 1 year ago.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Considering they make billions each year from Fortnite, I'm sure they aren't too worried.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Not if they will be forced to make some changes in how they operate with players.
If you then you are right.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

And there goes a few hundred jobs to make up for this and keep the illusion of perpetual growth going.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

A slap on the wrist that was always factored into the cost decision.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

EPIC did nothing wrong! Who here can honestly say they've never charged consumers through the use of dark patterns?

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

View attached image.
1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Let them throw the first steamdeck!

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Small drop of the amount they made and are still making off Fortshite.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Steam is a monopoly.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

It is, but it's mostly because Valve are doing a significantly better job catering to gamers wants/demands then the competition.
If anyone competent ever starts trying to compete against Steam things may change, but atm all we have is one-trick ponies in the form of Epic (free games) and GOG (DRM free), along with some stores that basically only exist so companies don't have to pay 10-30% of their sales to anyone (UPlay and Origin).

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

It is as long as customers like it. If Steam would put DRM in every game as mandatory many people would go to GOG and if they would act as bad as Epic does and steal even more money than EPIC does just because you have a credit card in their system then people would also look for something different.

Right now they are a monopoly because they have the biggest library of games, they care about their clients, they do sales often and they let many stores to sell their games for cheap.

I was a GOG fanatic because it is from my country before even finding Steam exists but since then I was never looking back.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Thank God we have no real competitors to Steam like crappy EGS

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I think everyone can agree to that. But it's like the Russian mob making moves on Wall Street by saying "hey at least we don't rob our customers like those mofos banks did".
The trade off is not exactly in the customer's favor.
Epic is just as bad as Steam and they tactics they have been using only proves that.

If Steam was to go under tomorrow, Epic would just act exactly the way Steam does.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

All this money flying every which way you think they could take the time and effort to make the client not be a laggy mess.

At least GOG official library integration exists.

Fortnite is obviously a cash cow, looks boring really never played it.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Not boring to Noobmaster69.

Sorry, I HAD to.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I laughed thanks. That scene was great. I forgot about that then I clicked the link and remembered.

I was thinking "Who the hell is Noobmaster69".

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

No worries. Glad you got a kick out of it.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I really don't get this "game" but then I'm not a teenage boy...
I get even less the money that their players seem to spend for lousy cosmetics.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

On one hand, it's nice that someone finally gets punished for using dark patterns.
On the other hand, dark patterns are everywhere now so it seems a bit unfair to hit Epic that hard while everyone else just happily keeps using those with no consequences 🤔

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

And the fact it's coming from the FTC who just lets any American company get away with murder but objects to a Chinese business doing the same says more about them than about Epic's dark patterns.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

40% Chinese

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

There is literally nothing that can make anyone look better right now that slapping around China, even if it was only 5%.

1 year ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Sign in through Steam to add a comment.