Fortnite on iOS, Google Play won't be available to players under 18

Players will also not be able to spend V-Bucks, the game's in-app currency

Fortnite
Fortnite
IANS San Francisco
2 min read Last Updated : Jan 27 2023 | 8:32 AM IST

Video game developer Epic Games has announced that starting January 30, Fortnite will no longer be available to players under the age of 18 on iOS and Google Play.

Players will also not be able to spend V-Bucks, the game's in-app currency.

"Beginning January 30, Fortnite players using the August 2020 13.40 app build previously available on iOS, Mac, and Google Play can no longer spend V-Bucks and must be over 18 to play," Fortnite tweeted.

"We want all versions of our games to use the current suite of Epic Online Services including parental controls, purchasing defaults, and parental verification features. We are not able to update the app on these platforms given Apple and Google's restrictions on Fortnite," it added.

In December last year, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had said that it has reached a $520 million settlement with Epic Games, creator of the popular video game Fortnite, over allegations that the company violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and deployed design tricks, known as dark patterns, to dupe millions of players into making unintentional purchases.

Fortnite made over $9 billion during its first two years in existence.

Epic will pay a $275 million penalty for violating children's privacy law, change default privacy settings, and pay $245 million in refunds for tricking users into making unwanted charges.

--IANS

shs/arm

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :gaming industryApple iOSAndroid

First Published: Jan 27 2023 | 8:32 AM IST

Next Story