Late last year, the FTC fined Epic Games $520 million for tricking players into buying in-game goods. Some of that money—$245 million—will be used to refund gamers who fell prey to the game's manipulative tactics, and we now have more details about how affected gamers can get their hands on that cash.
The settlement covers purchases made between January 2017 and September 2022, as well as folks whose accounts were locked after they disputed the charges with their bank during the same time period. There are additional provisions for parents whose children made purchases without their consent between January 2017 and November 2018.
If that's you, follow this link to the FTC's website, where the agency has posted instructions as well as a link to the form you need to fill out to file a claim. Claimants have until Jan. 17, 2024, to apply for their refunds. Those under the age of 18 need a parent or guardian to fill one out on their behalf.
(Source: Epic Games)There's no set date for when payments will go out, or how much each person will get. "If your claim is approved, your payment amount will depend on several factors, including how many people file a claim," the FTC says.
Filing a claim won't affect your Fortnite account and you'll get to keep all purchased items.
At the heart of the case were lax safeguards on accidental purchases in Fortnite, which could happen in a variety of ways, such as waking the game from sleep, previewing items, and even while the game was on a loading screen. Such design elements are commonly referred to as "dark patterns," and their use is fairly widespread. Epic Games ignored over 1 million user complaints about accidental purchases, prompting the FTC lawsuit.
The other $275 million from the lawsuit is going to the FTC as a fine for Epic's violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) because, along with the fraudulent purchases, Epic also collected information on children under 13 without their parent's consent.
As part of the settlement, the FTC has banned Epic from using dark patterns in Fortnite and forbids the company from locking player accounts when the player requests chargebacks on their credit cards. In addition, Fortnite now allows players to make payments without saving their credit card information.
In a statement from last December, Epic Games outlined some other changes it made to Fortnite, including a more robust refund system, instant purchase cancellations, and Cabined Accounts for players under 13. The Cabined Accounts are tailored in such a way that they comply with COPPA. Epic also talked about previous changes it made, including the removal of paid random item loot boxes to fix previous allegations that the company endorsed gambling.
