​​​​​​​LONDON

A Dutch court ruled Wednesday that Epic Games, the creator of the popular online game Fortnite, must pay a fine previously imposed by a Dutch watchdog for manipulating children to spend money in the game, according to media reports.

The Rotterdam Court ordered Epic Games to pay a more than €1.1 million ($1.2 million) fine that was previously imposed by the Netherlands' Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported.

It came after Epic Games announced in May 2024 that it would appeal the ACM's decision that contained “significant factual errors."

Fortnite is normally free but earns money from selling virtual items, has hundreds of millions of players worldwide and user purchases generate billions of dollars for the company annually, according to the report.

The court agreed with the ACM that the in-game advertising directly encourages children to make purchases.