Fortnite players can now apply for a refund for unwanted in-game purchases made between January 2017 to September 2022, thanks to a $245 million dollar settlement between the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Epic Games.
In December 2022 the FTC reached what it described as two “record breaking” settlements with Fortnite creator Epic Games, after it was alleged that the company had broken privacy protection rules and employed “dark patterns” to trick players into unwanted in-game purchases.
The cumulative settlement amounted to a staggering $520 million dollars. Now, the FTC is inviting Epic Games customers who believe they might have fallen foul of the shady business practices to claim a refund for their unwanted digital goods. This includes situations where customers were wrongfully charged for unwanted V-bucks (Fortnite’s in-game currency) or other items such as battle passes or cosmetic gear.
According to the FTC website, you may be eligible for a refund if any of the following criteria apply to you:
- 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
Starting September 19 the FTC began the process of sending out millions of emails to Fortnite gamers that it believed may be eligible for a refund. In order to seek a refund applicants must be in possession of either a claim number (obtained via an FTC email), or their Epic Account ID, and be over the age of 18, or have a parent of guardian complete the claim form on your behalf.
According to the FTC, applying for a refund will have no effect on an individual’s Fortnite account, meaning that you won’t lose any in-game items as a result of the claim.
The FTC has yet to set a date for the payouts, and has also warned that the amount to be expected is dependent on a range of factors, including the number of people that apply for refunds. Furthermore, there is a hard deadline of January 17 2024 for parties hoping to file a refund claim.
Earlier this week the FTC made headlines for a different reason, after Microsoft accidentally provided the court with unredacted information that has since made its way into the public eye, revealing plans for a mid-generation Xbox console refresh, a slew of unannounced games, and more.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
