Lawsuit Accuses Fortnite Developer Epic Games of Designing Game to Be Addictive

A lawsuit has been filed in Canada against Fortnite developer Epic Games, alleging the publisher designed Fortnite expressly to cause addiction.

Per the Canadian Global News, a notice filed Friday in Quebec Superior Court likened the gameplay to taking cocaine and claimed players had sought treatment for their Fortnite addictions.

The lawyer who brought the suit, Jean-Philippe Caron, likens the suit to those previously filed against tobacco companies for failing to warn consumers of the risks involved.

Fortnite had 250 million users worldwide in March and earned Epic Games $3 billion in 2018. In some cases, players have been sent to rehabilitation centers by their parents. The World Health Organization last year added gaming disorder to its list of diseases.

Epic Games has yet to comment on the suit.

Photo courtesy of Epic Games