Fortnite players who purchased unwanted in-game items can now be compensated for a refund. This comes after Epic Games reached a $520 million settlement with the FTC in late 2022 over allegations that parents, children, and others were deceived into making purchases without their knowledge or consent. Epic will pay $275 million for violation of the COPPA Rule ( Children’s Online Privacy Protection), along with $245 million to consumers seeking a refund.
The FTC stated back in December 2022 that Epic, “deployed design tricks, known as dark patterns, to dupe millions of players into making unintentional purchases.”
As per the FTC in release earlier this week, those seeking refunds would be eligible had they made a purchase between certain dates for unwanted items:
- You were charged in-game currency for items you didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022
- Your child made charges to your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018
- Your account was locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after you complained to your credit card company about wrongful charges
The broad scope of time per the FTC ruling for those seeking refunds could go into the millions, specifically for those who purchased an unwanted item between January 2017 and September 2022.
It’s unclear currently the set amount the FTC will refund per those who make a claim and are eligible for the refund. The FTC said that it’s opened the claims process for nearly 37 million affected gamers who may qualify. Consumers will have until January 17th, 2024 to submit a claim.