GamesIndustry.biz
Sep 24, 2026, 2:00 p.m. UTC
· 5 hours, 17 minutes ago • Sophie McEvoy
Dutch consumer group files lawsuit against Epic for misleading young players on Fortnite, seeking more than €100m in compensation
GamesIndustry.biz reports that Dutch consumer group Stichting Massaschade & Consument has filed a class action lawsuit against Epic Games, alleging Fortnite misled young players and collected children’s personal data without parental consent. The group is representing Dutch players who played Fortnite before age 21 and is seeking more than €100 million in refunds, damages, and related compensation.
The case leans on research cited by SMC showing how V-Bucks spending can blur the line between in-game currency and real money for teens. In a survey of more than 1,000 Dutch players aged 16 to 19, six in 10 said V-Bucks didn’t feel like real money, and half said they regretted purchases made under time pressure.
This isn’t Epic’s first legal hit in the Netherlands. In 2024, the country’s consumer regulator fined the company €1,125,000 over item shop design it said exploited children’s vulnerabilities, and a Rotterdam court upheld that fine in January 2026. The penalties were split between misleading urgency language and countdown timers that suggested items would disappear when the timer expired.
SMC has served Epic with a formal notice of liability and says it is open to settlement talks before taking the case to court. Epic, meanwhile, says it already offers parental controls, Cabined Accounts for under-16s in the Netherlands, two-step purchase confirmation, instant purchase cancellations, self-service returns, and other safeguards.
“The logical next step is for Epic to pay players back.”
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At a glance
what
Dutch consumer group SMC filed a class action lawsuit against Epic Games over Fortnite monetization and child data concerns.
who
Stichting Massaschade & Consument, Epic Games, and Dutch Fortnite players who played before age 21.
when
The ACM fined Epic in 2024; a Rotterdam court upheld that fine in January 2026; the lawsuit has now been filed.
impact
Could increase legal and compliance pressure on youth-facing monetization, consent, and store UX.
SignalConcerning
Legal risk and refund claims for Epic
epicgamesfortnitelawsuitconsumer protectionmonetizationloot box
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