Fortnite is over seven years old, but that doesn’t mean it’s passé. The game is still played by over a million people daily, with roughly 650 million registered players in total. Many of those players might log on with zero animosity towards the game or its maker, Epic Games. But others have been wronged by the company, at least according to the FTC. And, to remedy that, payouts in a legal settlement are now on the way.
What did Epic Games do?
It’s been two years since the FTC ordered Epic Games to pay over $245 million in fines, including $72 million in direct refunds to players. In case you missed it, back in 2022 the FTC accused the company of “counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration,” tricking users into buying things they didn’t mean to, all because they clicked the wrong option.
These accidental charges really were accidental. The FTC said that players would be charged while a game was loading when returning up from sleep mode, or when simply previewing an item without actually meaning to buy it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of these unwanted purchases came from children who were playing the game. Parents would likely only notice how many charges their children actually were tricked into making when they checked their credit card statements.
The FTC says you are eligible for a refund if any of the following apply to you:
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You were charged in-game currency for items you didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022
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Your child made charges to your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018
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Your account was locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after you complained to your credit card company about wrongful charges
When are payments rolling out?
Payouts are being sent out to claimants now—at least, for the first round of them. Exactly 629,344 payments were sent out on Monday, 50% through PayPal, with the other half arriving via checks. If you applied for a claim, you would have specified at that time which of these two forms of payment you’d like to receive, and you may have been included in this first round.
While payments vary, the average sum is $114. If you receive the money via PayPa, you have to claim it within 30 days. If you receive a check, you have 90 days to cash it.
Can I still apply for a refund?
If you weren’t a part of this first round, don’t worry: There will be future rounds of payments. The FTC says it is still investigating claims filed after Oct. 8, so your claim may still need to be processed.
In addition, there’s still time to apply for a refund if you haven’t yet. Head to the FTC’s official site and apply with your claim number or your Epic Account ID before the Jan. 10, 2025 deadline.
