![]() ![]() The FTC further alleged that Epic made it more difficult to cancel purchases of in-game items by burying the option at the bottom of the screen and by requiring consumers to push and hold a button on their controllers to complete the cancellation. The complaint claims Epic made it extremely easy for children to purchase in-game items with a single click or button press without parental approval, resulting in more than one million parental complaints to Epic about unwanted charges. ![]() The allegations of Epic’s deceptive design choices were filed as an FTC administrative complaint. In addition to the alleged illegal collection of children’s data, the FTC also claimed that Epic’s default settings for matchmaking and in-game communications exposed children to bullying and harassment. The FTC’s complaint and proposed settlement dealing with children’s privacy was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “Protecting the public, and especially children, from online privacy invasions and dark patterns is a top priority for the Commission, and these enforcement actions make clear to businesses that the FTC is cracking down on these unlawful practices,” Khan said in a statement. “We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.”įTC Chair Lina Khan said the settlement reflects the agency’s heightened focus on privacy and so-called “dark patterns,” a term used to describe design elements intended to nudge users toward a company’s preferred result. “No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here,” Epic said in the blog post. In a blog post addressing the twin settlements, Epic said the agreement reflects an evolution in how US laws are applied to the video gaming industry. ![]() ![]() That agreement is the largest administrative order in FTC history, the FTC added. In a second and separate settlement, Epic will pay $245 million as refunds to consumers who were allegedly harmed by user-interface design choices the FTC claimed were deceptive. It’s also possible that they’ll want to keep these things separate, if only for sanity’s sake.How companies subtly trick users online with 'dark patterns' It’s entirely possible that within the next few years, the everyday public will want shared online spaces that incorporate gaming, VR, chat and even productivity in a single suite. Granted, none of this nails down exactly what the “metaverse” is, or how Epic, Sony and Lego plan to capitalize on it. Lego, of course, is one of the closest analogues to Roblox: an open-ended way for kids to build things, and create their own experiences from a single, widely compatible toolkit. Sony has respectable VR know-how, and understands how to build dedicated fan followings with exclusive experiences. Epic has an enormous fan base who are used to blurring the lines between video games and shared online space, thanks to Fortnite. While Roblox is a little hard to quantify, it already exists at the nexus of “video game,” “open-ended simulation” and “platform for user-created software.” Not only is Roblox an incredibly lucrative endeavor, but it’s arguably better-suited to a metaverse than any other platform.įrom that perspective, the Lego and Sony investments in Epic make a whole lot of sense. This metaverse investment makes more sense when you consider which other company has a head start, however: Roblox. “This investment will accelerate our work to build the metaverse and create spaces where players can have fun with friends, brands can build creative and immersive experiences and creators can build a community and thrive,” said Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games. “This investment will accelerate our engagement in the world of digital play, and we are pleased to be investing in Epic Games to support their continued growth journey, with a long-term focus toward the future metaverse,” said Søren Thorup Sørensen, CEO of KIRKBI, Lego’s holding and investment company. “As a creative entertainment company, we are thrilled to invest in Epic to deepen our relationship in the metaverse field, a space where creators and users share their time,” said Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida. ![]()
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