The FTC has announced that the ‘first wave’ of refunds resulting from a $245 million fine to Epic Games is being distributed now. In March 2023, Epic Games was ordered to pay back players ‘duped’ into spending money by mistake, and the first round of refunds—totalling $72 million—has started being handed out.
When the dust had settled in the FTC vs. Fortnite case, the gaming titan was found to have been promoting a ‘counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration’ that subsequently led to millions of players making purchases they didn’t want.
Are You Owed a Fortnite Refund?
In recent years, the United States Federal Trade Commission has been hot on these tactics, which typically involve ‘clever placement’ of buttons and prompts to encourage users to buy things in digital stores without them necessarily meaning to.
The FTC claimed that Epic Games was knowingly allowing children to ‘rack up unauthorised charges without any parental involvement’. It’s not the first company to adopt these tactics, nor will it be the last, but it’s one of the firms hit the hardest by legal action pursued by the Federal Trade Commission.
By way of a resolution, Epic Games agreed to discontinue the use of these shady tactics, and it noted that it would put in place a prompt requesting consent from the consumer before making any purchase.
Next week, 629,344 customers will be refunded an average of $114 – and this is just the first stop of the refund train.
How to Get a Fortnite Refund
If you believe you’ve been impacted by this issue, you can file a claim with the FTC using this online form.
However, there are some prerequisites you’ll need to meet in terms of eligibility:
- You must be a resident of the United States
- You must be at least 18 to complete a form (a parent or guardian can complete it on your behalf)
- You must have been charged in-game currency between January 2017 and September 2022
You’ve got until January 10, 2025, to make a claim.
Are you going to be pursuing your cut of the Fortnite refund bundle? Let us know on the Insider Gaming forum.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Tencent needs to pass on Ubisoft and launch a takeover of Epic and get rid of Tim Sweeney and Disney give them the pink slip.