The Dutch consumer group Stichting Massaschade & Consument has filed a class action lawsuit against Epic Games, alleging that the company misled young Fortnite players, GamesIndustry.biz reported.
The foundation represents Dutch players who played Fortnite before the age of 21. It is seeking more than 100 million euros in refunds and damages, along with compensation over the collection of children's personal data without parental consent.
The evidence cited
Research cited by the foundation surveyed more than 1,000 Dutch teenagers aged 16 to 19. Six in ten buyers of in-game currencies such as V-Bucks said the spending did not feel like real money, and half said they had regretted a purchase made under time pressure.
Stichting Massaschade & Consument has served Epic with a formal notice of liability and offered to negotiate a settlement. It said it will take the case to court if those negotiations fail.
A regulator got there first
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets fined Epic 1,125,000 euros in 2024 over what it called unfair commercial practices in the Fortnite item shop, which it said exploited the vulnerabilities of children. A Rotterdam court upheld the fine in January 2026.
The penalty was split evenly. Epic was fined 562,500 euros for item shop phrases such as get it now and buy now, and a further 562,500 euros for countdown timers that falsely suggested items would stop being available once the timer ran out.
We aren't asking for Fortnite to be banned. But a Dutch regulator found that Epic broke the rules, and a court has confirmed it. The logical next step is for Epic to pay players back. Epic deliberately designed the game to pressure players into buying. Young consumers are supposed to be protected from exactly that. The bill belongs with the company that made the game, not with the players or their parents.
The foundation filed a separate collective action against Sony in 2025, claiming that at least 1.7 million PlayStation owners in the Netherlands overpaid for digital games on the console.
