Overview
- A Rotterdam court backed the Dutch consumer authority, allowing two fines totaling about €1.1 million against Epic Games for unfair commercial practices.
- The decision centers on December 2020 to December 2021 features that directly encouraged children to make purchases.
- Epic must remove countdown clocks and other urgency signals, clearly state how long items remain available, and extend the time allowed to complete a purchase.
- For players under 18 in the Netherlands, the shop may display only items available for more than 48 hours.
- Judges rejected Epic’s defenses that cancellations, refund tickets, and parental controls eliminated the pressure before purchase decisions.