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technologyGaming · 2022
Epic Games Inc.
Epic Games was fined $275 million for COPPA violations in Fortnite — including collecting personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent, enabling live voice communications between children and adults by default, and creating accounts for children without parental authorisation. A simultaneous $245 million dark patterns settlement (total $520M) addressed charges that Epic used manipulative button configurations and accidental charge mechanisms to cause players to make unintended in-game purchases. The combined $520 million settlement was the largest FTC enforcement action in gaming history.
Fine Imposed€253M
Authority
FTC-US
Regulation
FTC Act Section 5 — Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices
Max fine$51,744 per violation per day for post-order violations; initial enforcement via consent orders without direct fines
Statusactive
Key Takeaways
- Games with substantial child audiences must implement verified parental consent, default-off stranger communications, and non-deceptive purchase flows — the FTC will pursue COPPA and consumer protection violations simultaneously when both are present.