The new chapter of Fortnite arrived full of new features in the game, focusing on the graphical improvements provided by Unreal Engine 5.1.
While many were overjoyed with the news, Epic Games and its Canadian subsidiary are facing a class-action lawsuit over the allegation of several parents saying their children stopped sleeping and bathing to play Fortnite.
The lawsuit filed against Epic Games claims the company “knowingly” designed Fortnite to be “very, very addictive” and expresses the concerns of two parents with children ages 10 and 15 at the time the lawsuit was filed. open. One of the children within the complaint spent more than 7,700 logged into the game over the course of two years.
The case was originally filed against Epic Games in 2019, with law firm Calex Légal seeking approval from a Canadian court to proceed with the lawsuit. Alessandra Esposito Chartrand, a lawyer for Calex Légal, stated to the CBA at the time that Epic Games “hired psychologists” in an effort to make Fortnite “as addictive as possible”. Chartrand also stated that Epic Games knew that Fortnite was created to be as addictive as possible and failed to warn players about the risk of addiction to the game. As a result, the legal challenge has centered on the duty to inform.
Since 2019, the Court has been evaluating the allegations under debate on whether or not the case can proceed. Approval has now been granted with Montreal CTV reporting that the judge ruled the lawsuit was not frivolous or manifestly “groundless”.
In response to the allegations, Epic Games spokeswoman Natalie Munoz told ABC News that Fortnite has “the industry’s most refined parental controls that allow guardians to oversee their child’s digital experience.” Parents can also receive playtime reports that track the amount of time spent in-game each week, and permissions are required before any in-game purchases can be made by younger users.
As a final response to the claims made, Epic Games has stated that it plans to “fight this in court”.
Epic certainly won’t give up easily, but will this process change anything in the game?
