Another day, another lawsuit for Epic Games. The Fortnite developer is facing fresh legal trouble in the Netherlands. A Dutch consumer foundation is seeking more than €100 million from the developer, claiming Fortnite pressured young players into spending real money through fake countdown timers and aggressive purchase prompts in the Item Shop.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Stichting Massaschade & Consument (SMC) has invited the Fortnite maker to settlement talks. SMC plans to take the case to court if those negotiations fail, and sign-ups for affected players are already open. These sign-ups also mean that some players may get refunds.
A Dutch court already ruled against Fortnite and Epic Games
The mass claim covers anyone who played Fortnite in the Netherlands before turning 21. The foundation estimates that around one million Dutch players played Fortnite since its release in 2017. Joining the claim is free for all affected players.
Interestingly, SMC is building on an existing case. In 2024, Epic was fined €1.1 million by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) because of the “Get it now” buttons in the Item Shop. It also involves timers on cosmetics that would stay in the shop even after the countdowns expired. Epic Games removed those timers in 2024.
The developer still challenged the fine, and the Rotterdam District Court dismissed that appeal on January 14, 2026. Epic Games chose not to appeal again, making the ruling final. “The logical next step is for Epic to pay players back,” SMC chair Lucia Melcherts said. SMC wants refunds for purchases made under pressure, damages for misled players, and compensation for collecting children’s personal data without parental consent.
Epic Games pushed back in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, saying that “the Fortnite Item Shop does not have a timer.” The developer added that Dutch players under 18 cannot see or buy items available for less than 48 hours, while players under 16 need parental consent before spending real money.
For now, it appears that Epic has very little room to argue, so the case may be settled out of court. The developer previously agreed to a $520 million settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission in 2022 over Fortnite purchases, so paying Dutch players back is the most realistic way out. For now, it remains unclear how much each player will get and when the payouts could start.
The mass claim arrives a week before the Fortnitemares 2026 event. Fortnitemares usually floods the Item Shop with Halloween skins, so players who’d rather not spend should claim the free Fortnite skins that are available at the moment and use the best Fortnite XP map codes to level up their Battle Pass.
