The Better Business Bureau (BBB), a North American nonprofit designed to inform consumers and encourage self-regulation by industry, is assigning its lowest rating, an "F," to Fortnite developer Epic Games. Epic, at the time of reporting, has received 247 unanswered complaints filed against it by customers, as well as a near 1-star review average across 28 customer reviews. The rating has no direct punishment associated with it, as the BBB is not a regulatory body, but it stands as a badge of infamy online nonetheless.
The vast majority of the complaints against Epic stem from account issues for Fortnite players, particularly related to hacked accounts and unauthorized credit card usage. Other issues include complaints regarding accounts banned for cheating, goods that haven't been received after purchase, and refund requests for the premium game Fortnite: Save the World.
Epic Games is, however, making an effort to respond to the complaints. According to Epic Games' listing on the BBB website, 271 customer complaints have been closed over the past 12 months. Given that there are 279 open complaints, it shows that Epic is correcting issues as it's able. That said, though, a 50% correction rate and almost 250 complaints going completely unacknowledged doesn't seem to convey good faith.
Before the BBB's rating for Epic grows into a controversy, however, it's important to provide some context for the situation. All but 8 of the complaints against Epic have been filed over the past 12 months -- i.e. after Fortnite was released. The unfortunate truth is that it's near impossible for a company running an online game or service to maintain a decent rating with the BBB. For example, League of Legends developer Riot Games and Dota 2 developer Valve both have "F" ratings as well. This could imply that each of these companies have serious customer service issues, or it could imply that they've been targeted by efforts to harm their reputation online.
Another caveat to the situation are accusations throughout the BBB's past of bias. The company allows businesses to pay the BBB in order to become accredited. And it's been accused in the past that accredited companies receive preferential treatment by the BBB. For example, both Blizzard and Ubisoft maintain A+ ratings with the BBB and are accredited, though both are also much larger companies that are likely incentivized to maintain a higher rating, too.
The end result is a dubious situation by which each person will have to make their own judgment. It's unclear if the BBB a reliable source for this type of evaluation. It's also unclear if Epic is putting forth an adequate effort to respond to complaints. Perhaps most important of all, though, is whether the BBB's rating or Epic's response will prove impactful in any meaningful way in the first place.
Fortnite is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One, and mobile devices.