Epic Games was sentenced to pay a fine of $245 million

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has officially made its final decision against Epic Games, citing patent infringement.The decision was announced by the publisher of the popular game fortnite He was obligated to pay a $245 million fine. Epic Games used “dark mode” to trick Fortnite gamers into buying premium in-game items, the FTC said.

the meaning of dark patternCertain deceptive techniques in the design of the Website and in the user interface of the Services and Games. Dark graphics are designed to lure users into a situation where they do something they don’t want to do; such as buying a product or offering a subscription service. An expert in user interface design found more than 400 examples of dark patterns in services from companies like Meta, Google, Amazon, and Adobe.

Report single locationEpic Games’ $245 million fine is the result of two lawsuits filed last year. The lawsuit accuses Epic Games of defrauding Fortnite gamers to boost game revenue.

Although Epic Games is one of the main critics of Apple’s policy, its $245 million fine has been finalized. Tim SweeneyThe CEO of Epic Games believes that Apple is a monopoly company, and said that the App Store policy of charging 15-30% commission is unfair, and it is not fair for the purpose of generating revenue.

At the end of 2022, Epic Games plans to fine another $275 million; penalties related to violations of the Children’s Online Protection Act.

People who inadvertently made Fortnite in-app purchases were not warned, the FTC said. These people are usually kids who bought Fortnite items without their parents’ knowledge.

According to the FTC’s findings, the structure of the built-in options in Fortnite was unusual, inconsistent, and confusing, leading users to pre-determined in-app purchase scenarios. In this particular case, Fortnite gamers of all ages can make a purchase with the click of an option. In most cases, the purchase process takes place without warning and does not require user authentication.

Due to Fortnite’s dark mode, many gamers have inadvertently purchased in-game items. The structure of Fortnite has resulted in some kids purchasing items without their parents’ knowledge. In addition to criticizing Epic Games for its deceptive policies, the FTC said the company closed the accounts of users who legitimately tried to get their funds back.

The $245 million fine received from Epic Games will be used to refund gamers. Epic Games does not have the authority to shut down the accounts of users who object to these unwanted purchases, the FTC said.