Fortnite refunds from the Federal Trace Commission following allegations of data breaches and unwanted fees by Epic Games, Inc.

(WKBN) – Two years after the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement, Fortnite players could soon expect the return of disputed funds.

In December 2022, the FTC secured settlements requiring Epic Games, Inc., the creator of the popular video game Fortnite, to pay a total of $520 million in compensation over allegations that the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and design used tricks, so-called dark patterns, to trick millions of players into making unintended purchases.

According to the FTC, the company improperly charged players for unwanted purchases, allowed children to collect unauthorized fees without their parents’ permission, and blocked some users who disputed unlawful charges from accessing their purchased content.

Now the FTC is sending 629,344 payments totaling more than $72 million to Fortnite players in the US who were charged for unwanted purchases.

The settlement also required the company to obtain affirmative consent before charging users fees and prohibited it from blocking players from their accounts for disputing unauthorized charges.

Refunds will be made by check or PayPal, depending on what was selected in the application process. The FTC requires that check payments be cleared within 90 days and PayPal payments accepted within 30 days.

The deadline to file a valid claim for this round of refunds was October 8, 2024. The FTC says you don’t need to take any action at this time if you file a claim after that date – these claims are still under review and information will be forthcoming provided. If you still need to file a claim, the deadline is January 10, 2025.

For more information about eligibility and how to request a refund, click here.