Canadian Court Gives Green Light to Class-Action Lawsuit Against Fortnite

A class-action lawsuit filed against Epic Games in Canada is moving forward. The lawsuit, initially launched in 2019 by Calex Legal, a Montreal-based law firm, was brought on behalf of the parents of two minors who alleged that Epic Games intentionally designed Fortnite to be highly addictive. Judge Sylvain Lussier has now ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, stating that their claim is not baseless and that they have a valid case for product liability against the defendants. According to the judge, 'there is a serious issue to be argued, supported by sufficient and specific allegations regarding the existence of risks or dangers associated with playing Fortnite.' Although the judge did not find evidence that Fortnite was deliberately created to be addictive, he noted that this does not rule out the possibility that the game is indeed addictive and that its creators are aware of this. Epic Games had argued that there is insufficient evidence to support the claim of video game addiction, citing findings from the American Psychiatric Association. However, the judge countered that the lack of official recognition of this condition in Quebec does not make the claims 'frivolous' or 'unfounded.' Epic Games has stated that it plans to contest the lawsuit in court.