A Canadian parent sues Fortnite

How could child's hobby cause a lawsuit and even more than once

A parent from British Columbia along with other families filed a class-action lawsuit against the makers of Fortnite video game. The parent claimed that the popular video game is intentionally designed to be as addictive as possible.

Fortnite is a free to install game that gets most of its income from in-game purchases. There you can improve your characters, change their appearance, buy clothes, accessories and access to certain game levels.

In the lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court, the plaintiff identified only as A.B. The claim says that the game provokes her son's addiction to the game and the enriches the company: in-game currency can be purchased for real money, and the designs and rewards for missions encourage gamers to return again and again.

A.B. alleges that her son began playing Fortnite on Play Station, then began making in-game purchases, added the game to his phone and computer. A.B. says Epic Games "received payment for numerous charges" made to her credit card without her authorization.

Epic Games says the company has had "cabined accounts" in place since 2022, which allow for parents to track their children's playtime, limit purchases and daily spending limit for players under 13 and perform instant purchase cancellations.

So far, none of the allegations have been proven in court.

In 2019, a similar lawsuit was launched against the game Fortnite by several parents from Québec. According to the case file, one of the kids was diagnosed with addiction. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized this type of addiction, addictive gambling disorder, as a disease in 2018.

In the Québec class-action appeal attempt, Epic lawyers argued the claims that children were becoming addicted to Fortnite were "based purely on speculation," and no scientific consensus exists on cyberaddiction.