Through a settlement with the FTC, Epic Games must pay $245 million in refunds – here’s everything Fortnite players eligible for a refund should know.
The Federal Trade Commission accused Epic of unlawfully collecting data from children and deceiving millions of gamers of all ages into unintentionally making in-game purchases.
Epic and the FTC have since come to an agreement, which will see the Fortnite maker pay a $520 million settlement. Of that figure, $275 million will settle the trade commission’s claim that Epic violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by gathering information from Fortnite users under the age of 13 without obtaining parental consent.
The remaining $245 million will be reserved to refund consumers manipulated by the developer’s use of “dark patterns” to trick players into unintentionally buying in-game goods.
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How to know if you’re eligble for the Fortnite FTC refund
Today, December 19, the Federal Trade Commision detailed who it plans on making refunds available to when the “refund program” launches. The guidelines read as follows:
- Parents whose children made an unauthorized credit card purchase in the Epic Games Store between January 2017 and November 2018
- Fortnite players who were charged in-game currency (V-Bucks) for unwanted in-game items (such as cosmetics, llamas, or battle passes) between January 2017 and September 2022
- Fortnite players whose accounts were locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after disputing unauthorized charges with their credit card companies.
For now, there’s nothing more for elegible consumers to do until more details about the program surface. The FTC will update its Fortnite-dedicated page when additional information comes in. Users can also sign up for email updates regarding the refund program.
There’s presently no date or time for the program’s launch, nor is it known how long it may take for involved parties to iron out the specifics.