89 Fortnite Pays an Epic $520 Million Price on Privacy

Author: Colette & Matt
Published: Fri 23 Dec 2022
Episode Link: https://haveenteredthechat.com/episodes/89-epic-ftc-fortnite-coppa-yYCcdoQI

Epic Games settled an FTC investigation alleging it had violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting too much data on minors and tricking them into unintended purchases. Epic has not admitted to wrongdoing, but will pay a whopping $520 million to put the case to bed. So, what does this mean for the future of a games industry that has its sights set on live service games, addictive loops, and microtransactions?

We discuss this, what we've been playing, and much more.

Read Colette's piece on Epic vs. FTC: https://www.thestreet.com/video-games/why-epic-games-clash-with-the-ftc-wont-be-the-last

Do games have an extremism problem, and if so, who's responsible? https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/congress-calls-publishers-to-address-extremism-in-video-games

Colette's playing: Core Keeper
Matt's playing: The Playdate console!

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