Epic Games Launches 'Cabined' Accounts To Protect Younger Fortnite, Rocket League, And Fall Guys Players
Epic Games has just severely limited the range of features that are available to younger gamers. To do so, it's now introducing "Cabined Accounts," which is an interesting name for a set of strong parental controls. Seeing as Epic Games owns titles like "Fortnite" and "Fall Guys," it's probably not a bad idea to look out for the children and young teens who love these games. Here's what's changing with this new update.
Epic Games, being the main home to "Fortnite," is no stranger to microtransactions. Microtransactions, on the other hand, are one of the threats that await kids (and their parents' wallets) in the world of battle royale and MOBA games, among others. We've all heard horror stories of children, or teens, racking up thousands of dollars worth of microtransactions without the consent of their parents.
Children are also faced with a lot of toxic or unsafe behaviors from other players when engaging in online gameplay. For that reason, many companies try to limit the number of interactions that young gamers are subjected to. This is exactly what Epic Games appears to be doing with these new Cabined accounts.
Cabined accounts expand the range of parental controls
It seems that Epic Games has decided to expand the range of parental controls, and from now on, young gamers will automatically be assigned to a so-called Cabined account. With these accounts, many features are disabled until the child obtains consent from their parents. This type of account will be automatically assigned to players who indicate they are under 13, or that they are under their country's age of digital consent. Once that account type is assigned, the user will be unable to use many of the features that are available to older Epic Games members, at least until parental consent kicks in.
Cabined accounts don't have access to voice chat or text chat, limiting the chance that the child will encounter any toxic behaviors. They also cannot buy any in-game items with money or download games that are owned by a company different from Epic. Cabined accounts also cannot be connected to any social media websites and streaming services, such as Twitch, and social media websites. Email marketing will not be enabled, and SMS-based two-factor authentication is also not available. Younger players also cannot create custom display names and carry out trades in "Rocket League."
The way to surpass all these restrictions is to send out a request for parental consent. This makes Epic Games email the parent or guardian of the owner of the account. The guardian is then able to tweak the settings, such as permitting in-game purchases with real money. Until then, young gamers are out of luck.