“We have digged into the game Fortnite and have a strong claim to this,” said Calex Légal's lawyer Alessandra Esposito Chartran, who is preparing a class action. In the complaint, the addictiveness of Fortnite is compared to cocaine, and the problem is pointed out as 'releasing dopamine to the brains of young people who may depend on games.' New legal challenge accuses Epic of 'knowingly' creating the 'very, very addictive game', Fortnite? ĬBC News reports that Calex Légal has filed a complaint with the court to bring a class action on behalf of two minor parents, 10 and 15. Īddicted to Fortnite? Montreal law firm says video game company should pay up | CBC News The law firm `` Calex Légal '' in Montreal, Canada is preparing to file a class action against the developer Epic Games, saying that the shooting game `` Fort Knight '' is `` too addictive ''. Since its launch two years ago, the game’s success has sparked major promotional crossovers, social hubs, and a thriving competitive scene.10:46:00 Fortnite is in crisis of class action as `` too addictive '' “We work to remove all the frustrations players might have that are not by design, such as difficulty navigating menus, unintuitive icons, or confusing systems.”Īs of this writing, Chartrand couldn’t disclose the amount of money the firm would be seeking or when a judge would be making a ruling on the request.Īcross seven platforms, mobile, console, and computer, Fortnite: Battle Royale has amassed a player base of 250 million users as of 2019. “The idea is to ensure that the game is going to be as intuitive and easy to use as possible, just like industrial designers think of how we can make it easier for people to open a bottle of water, unscrew a beer without any tool, or buy an airplane ticket online,” Hoden said in her breakdown. While these are quality of life issues all games, products, and services typically try to account for, with something free-to-play, easily accessible on mobile devices, and as widely played as Fortnite, it can lead to addictive behavior. Hoden’s analysis and work on the game centered around the ease of use, clarity, and how to quickly someone can go from one match to another. Celia Hoden, the former directer of user experience at Epic, broke down how the game’s success is rooted in psychology, a subject on which she holds a PhD. When speaking to CBC, Chartrand cited Epic’s consulting and working with psychologists in order to make Fortnite as addictive as possible. “In our case, the two parents that came forward and told, ‘If we knew it was so addictive it would ruin our child’s life, we would never have let them start playing Fortnite or we would have monitored it a lot more closely,'” Chartrand told CBC. The basis of the lawsuit is the 2015 Quebec Supreme Court ruling on cigarettes that claimed tobacco companies didn’t adequately convey that their products could be addictive to people buying them.Īlessandra Esposito Chartrand, a Calex Légal attorney, said she believes Epic sought to make Fortnite as addictive as possible, and the game’s appeal to a younger generation of players meant that children were being hooked to the point where it became a detriment to a healthy lifestyle. A legal firm in Montreal is looking into suing Epic Games for Fortnite: Battle Royale’s apparently addictive qualities, even comparing the game to cocaine at one point in its 38-page request.Īccording to a CBC report, Calex Légal is representing the parents of two minors, a 10-year-old and 15-year-old, who claim their children have become dependent on playing the battle royale game.
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