The Federal Trade Commission announced that it will fine Fortnite developer Epic Games $520 million over violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
In a press release, FTC Chair Lina M. Khan states that “Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that tricked Fortnite users, including teenagers and children.” The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a federal court order forcing Epic Games to pay $275 million for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act as well as an additional $245 million in refunds to customers.
Epic Games will also update Fortnite to require that voice and text communications are off by default for children and teens playing the game. U.S. Attorney General Vanita Gupta even commented as part of this announcement, stating that “this proposed order sends a message to all online providers that collecting children’s personal information without parental consent will not be tolerated.”
Recommended VideosThe FTC has gotten much stricter in regard to the video game industry recently. Earlier this month, the FTC made game industry headlines when it announced it’s filing a lawsuit with Microsoft over its impending acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Although the video game industry has remained somewhat unscathed from government scrutiny for some time, that may be starting to change. The press release announcing this settlement boasts that this is “FTC’s largest refund amount in a gaming case, and its largest administrative order in history.”
Still, even this settlement is really just a drop in the bucket for Epic Games, which has a valuation of about $31.5 billion as of April 2022.
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
The best places to land in Fortnite
Survival is key in Fortnite, and it all starts by picking the best starting location. Even if you're an expert player, your likelihood of coming out on top is greatly diminished if you start off on the wrong foot -- whether it be at a barren location with no loot or a hot drop that could lead to a swift death.
As part of Fortnite Chapter 5, Season 3, there's no shortage of fantastic landing spots, but which one is best comes down to your skill and preference. With that in mind, here are the best places to land in Fortnite for veterans, beginners, and everyone in between.
The best places to land in Fortnite
Before jumping into the list of the best places to land in Fortnite, it's important to be aware of what makes a good landing spot. Sure, any place with decent loot might serve you well, but there's more to consider than that. Does a spot have a consistent chest/loot spawn? Are there guaranteed materials? Is it close to other places of interest (POI)s? Is it out of the way? Of course, loot is the most important aspect, but it does you no good to have a stacked loadout if you're stuck in the storm. These recommended landing spots all have some degree of consistency and fantastic loot. they also typically have some quirk that makes them effective depending on your playstyle.
Mount Olympus
A new season of Fortnite means a new cast of bosses with unique items to obtain. This season, your reward for besting the new Mad Max-inspired bosses is Medallions. These items, which first appeared in Season 1, grant your character some of the best buffs in the game. Unlike previous seasons, this time there are only three new bosses, and thus three Medallions to find and equip during a match. The only way to get them is to locate the bosses and manage to take them down. We can't help you in the fight itself, but can at least show you where to go and what each Medallion does.
All Medallion locations
The three bosses this season are Ringmaster Scarr, The Machinist, and Megalo Don. Each one appears in a different POI on the map and drops a unique Medallion.
Ringmaster Scarr
Scarr is found in the Nitrodome near the center of the map toward the south. She drops the Ringmaster's Medallion, which grants you unlimited ammo and a minor damage boost.
The Mechanist
Down near the south coast and slightly east is the Redline Rig POI, which is The Mechanist's lair. His Medallion will allow your shield to regenerate over time.
Megalo Don
The big bad of the season, and the most difficult boss of the trio, is Megalo Don. You can find him in the Brutal Beachhed POI, which is the giant ship beached far to the south and west of Redline Rig. If you manage to take this boss down you can get his Medallion, which gives your character, and by extension your vehicle, infinite Nitro.
Vehicles have gotten a major upgrade in Fortnite with Chapter 5, Season 3. Instead of simply being a great way to get around the map faster, and occasionally run over an unlucky opponent, you can now add mods to your cars to turn them into deadly weapons. Since this season's entire theme is centered around vehicular combat, you will be left in the dust if you don't learn how to fully take advantage of all the new ways to kit out your ride. Thankfully, modifying your vehicle is much easier in Fortnite than in real life, so let us give you the rundown on all the vehicle mods and how they work.
All vehicle mods and how they work
Modding a vehicle in Fortnite is so simple you may even do it by accident the first time around. While you're driving around the map, keep your eyes peeled for the vehicle mod crates lying around. These will have some text above them telling you which mod they are. Once you spot one, simply run it over to install that mod on your current car. You can also pick them up on foot and throw them at a vehicle to equip them that way.
Each vehicle can only have one mod per slot, and not all vehicles have the same number of slots. The SUV, for example, can equip any mod, but a dirt bike obviously can't use one that uses the roof slot. Here are all the mods currently in Fortnite.
Roof mods
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