Fortnite offers $100 refunds and you may be eligible

Back in 2022Epic Games agreed to pay $245 million as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over “dark patterns” that may have enticed players to spend in-game currency on cosmetics, dance emotes and other items that They don’t actually want to spend. Two years later, the first withdrawals are finally made and some players receive checks for $100.

The regulatory state moves slowly and despite the players I filed a claim a year ago To be part of the settlement, payments only recently began. “The FTC is sending its first round of payments in this matter and will distribute additional money at a later date,” the agency said announced this week. “Today, the FTC is sending a total of 629,344 payments, about half of which are PayPal payments and the other half are checks.”

Am I entitled to one? Fortnite Refund?

While people started filing claims months ago, everyone affected by the settlement still has until January 10, 2025 to request a refund. To be eligible for the payment, players must meet one of the following criteria:

• 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 between January 2017 and November 2018 without your knowledge
• Your account was suspended between January 2017 and September 2022 after you complained to your credit card company about unlawful charges

Everyone affected simply has to make a claim on the FTC website. You can choose to receive the refund by check in the mail or via PayPal. The total amount you receive depends on how many other people are also claiming. The FTC currently predicts the average payment will be about $114 per person, which is about $6 Fortnite skins.

Why did this happen?

The $245 million settlement came amid a regulatory crackdown on the practice FortniteThe in-game store works and the way it monitors data belonging to children. When it comes to the store, which sells everything from Rollie dances to Godzilla costumes, the FTC found that Epic Games “uses dark patterns to lure players into unwanted purchases.”

These included making it too easy to accidentally purchase skins while previewing them and making it too difficult to find the refund button while the purchases could still be undone. The FTC also claimed that some players who successfully received refunds were subsequently banned for suspected fraudulent behavior.

Read more: Seven years later, Fortnite Is a better game than ever before

In addition to the settlement, the FTC also ordered Epic to “not charge consumers through the use of dark patterns or otherwise charge consumers without obtaining their express consent” and “deny consumers access to their accounts, to challenge unjustified charges.”

The FTC announced this week that it expects the next round of settlement refunds to be paid out to affected players sometime in 2025, after all current claims have been verified. It will be released several years late, but just in time for long-suffering fans Fortnite‘S constantly rising currency And Battle Pass Pricing.

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