Who makes it · Developer and publisher
Epic Games
Based in Cary, North Carolina, United States Founded 1991
Epic Games makes Fortnite, the Unreal Engine and the Epic Games Store, and owns studios including Psyonix (Rocket League). Fortnite is free to play and earns money from sales of the V-Bucks currency used for cosmetic items and passes; Epic also earns Unreal Engine royalties and store fees.
Track-record badges
What stands out, worst first
- Child safety
Child-safety enforcement
FTC, December 2022: $275 million COPPA penalty over Fortnite collecting under-13s' data and default-on voice and text chat, settled without admitting wrongdoing; Dutch ACM, May 2024: fined €562,500 over in-game ads urging children to buy, upheld by the Rotterdam District Court in January 2026. - Dark patterns
Dark-pattern ruling
FTC, December 2022: $245 million in refunds over purchase design that led to unwanted charges, settled without admitting wrongdoing; Dutch ACM, May 2024: fined €562,500 over misleading Item Shop countdown timers in a design it called a dark pattern, upheld by the Rotterdam District Court in January 2026. - Loot-box action
Loot-box enforcement
Zanca v. Epic Games (North Carolina), 2021: class-action settlement over paid random Loot Llamas and Rocket League Crates, settled without admitting wrongdoing. - Crunch
Crunch reports
Polygon, April 2019: staff described routine 70-hour weeks on Fortnite; Epic said 100-hour weeks were rare. - Large layoffs
Large layoffs
About 830 jobs cut in September 2023 and more than 1,000 in March 2026. - Shut down paid games
Shut down games people paid for
January 2023: switched off online services for older paid games including Unreal Tournament 2003, 2004 and 3 and Rock Band 1-3, several of which were also removed from sale.
Track record
What's on the record, newest first
- Labour
Laid off more than 1,000 employees
Epic said it was laying off more than 1,000 employees, citing a decline in Fortnite engagement that began in 2025, alongside more than $500 million in other cost savings. CEO Tim Sweeney said the layoffs were not related to AI.
CNBC - Regulator action
Fined €1,125,000 by Dutch consumer regulator over Fortnite shop
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) fined Epic two amounts of €562,500, finding that the Fortnite Item Shop directly urged children to buy and used misleading countdown timers. Epic removed the timers worldwide and objected; the ACM rejected the objection, and on 14 January 2026 the Rotterdam District Court upheld the fines and binding instruction.
Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) - Labour
Laid off about 830 employees
Epic laid off about 830 employees, around 16% of staff, saying it had been spending more than it earned. It also sold Bandcamp to Songtradr and spun off most of SuperAwesome.
CNBC - Regulator action
Agreed to pay $520 million to settle FTC privacy and billing cases
The US Federal Trade Commission alleged Epic collected personal data from Fortnite players under 13 without parental consent, turned on voice and text chat by default, and used button layouts and billing practices that led to unwanted purchases. Epic agreed to a $275 million civil penalty under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule and $245 million in customer refunds, and to turn chat off by default for children and teens. Epic settled without admitting wrongdoing.
US Federal Trade Commission - Game preservation
Removed older games from sale and switched off their online services
Epic announced it would remove a group of older titles from stores and turn off their online services on 24 January 2023, including Unreal Tournament 2003, 2004 and 3, Rock Band 1-3, Dance Central 1-3 and Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. Epic said it was consolidating online features into Epic Online Services.
Epic Games - Court case
Settled loot box class action
Epic settled a US class action (Zanca v. Epic Games, Wake County Superior Court, North Carolina) alleging that paid random 'Loot Llamas' in Fortnite: Save the World and paid 'Crates' in Rocket League breached consumer-protection law. Accounts that had bought them received 1,000 V-Bucks or 1,000 Rocket League Credits, and class members could claim further cash or in-game currency. Epic settled without admitting wrongdoing; the court granted final approval on 18 November 2021.
US District Court, N.D. California filing (via Docket Alarm) - Labour
Fortnite staff described working 70-hour weeks or more
Polygon reported, from interviews with about a dozen current and former employees and contractors, that Fortnite staff regularly worked more than 70 hours a week and some up to 100. Epic said 100-hour weeks were "incredibly rare" and that it seeks to remedy them. No regulator or court finding was made.
Video Games Chronicle (reporting Polygon's investigation) - Game preservation
Shut down Paragon and offered full refunds
Epic announced it would close its online battle arena game Paragon on 26 April 2018, saying it could not grow it into a sustainable game, and offered every player a full refund for every purchase on any platform.
PC Gamer
Settlements are often made without an admission of wrongdoing; we say so where it matters. Follow each source for the full detail.
Games in the guide
What Epic Games made or published
Each game's money rating is its own: it comes from how that game makes money, not from the company's record.
Last checked 1 November 2026. Sources: www.ftc.gov, www.acm.nl, www.acm.nl, nltimes.nl, www.docketalarm.com, www.businesswire.com, www.videogameschronicle.com, videogameschronicle.com, www.epicgames.com, www.gamingonlinux.com, www.cnbc.com, www.cnbc.com, en.wikipedia.org, www.pcgamer.com, www.polygon.com. Spotted something wrong or missing? Send a correction.