FTC starts claims process for Fortnite players tricked into making unwanted purchases
The compensation stems from a settlement finalized in March with Epic Games.
As part of a $520 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, Epic Games will be forced to provide refunds to Fortnite players who were allegedly tricked into making unintended purchases on the platform. About $245 million has been specifically earmarked for these refunds. The regulator has started notifying more than 37 million people via email if they are for compensation.
The entire process may take one month to complete and the FTC says customers who believe they were impacted will have until January 17, 2024, to submit a claim where you can simply apply for a refund directly on the FTC’s website. The FTC notes that this is one of the largest refunds in a gaming-related case to happen to date.
The FTC previously claimed that Epic Games used deceptive tactics to get Fortnite players to make unintended in-game purchases. As part of a complaint first announced by the FTC in December of last year, the agency says the video game-making company made it easy for underage players to rack up charges “without parental consent” and also “locked the accounts of consumers” that disputed unauthorized charges. Because Epic Games violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act or COPPA, it was ordered to pay $275 million in addition to the consumer refunds.
