"Fortnite"/Epic Games
- Epic Games defended the business model of its hit game "Fortnite" during a hearing with UK Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
- "Fortnite" is a free-to-play game with more than 250 million registered players, and that earned an estimates $2.4 billion-plus through microtransactions in 2018.
- Committee members questioned whether "Fortnite" has proper restrictions in place to keep players, and more specifically children, from spending too much time or money on the game.
- Representatives from Epic Games said they don't believe the game is addictive - refuting statements made by Prince Harry in April, who called the game "irresponsible."
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The company behind "Fortnite" told the British Parliament that it doesn't believe the game is addictive, while defending the hit game's business model and data collection policies.
Representatives for Epic Games appeared before Pariliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee on June 19 as a part of the committee's investigation into addictive technology. The committe also invited representives from Electronic Arts, the publishers of "FIFA," "Madden NFL," "The Sims," and "Star Wars: Battlefront II."
"Fortnite" is the most popular video game in the world with more than 250 million players. Though the game is free-to-play, Epic Games reportedly earned more than $2.4 billion from microtransactions during 2018.
Many of those transactions come from children who buy cosmetic items in the game to customize their character's appearance. Even if you're not spending money, you can play "Fortnite" as long as you want, and the game offers free weekly challenges and other incentives to keep players engaged.
The game's popularity has sparked debate about whether its microtransactions are predatory on both kids and adults, and whether its business model manipulates players into spending more time playing.