If you've played Fortnite, you may be owed some money from the FTC
If you've played Fortnite, you may be owed some money from the FTC
The FTC has received $245 million from Epic Games to settle allegations in relation to in-game purchases, and you could be eligible for a refund
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Fortnite FTC refund
💰 The FTC has received a $245 million settlement from Epic Games
🤔 It relates to allegations of accidental and confusing in-game purchases
🙌 The Federal Trade Commission is using the settlement to refund eligible customers
🖐️ If you’ve played Fortnite from 2017 to 2022, you may be owed some money
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has received a $245 million settlement from Fortnite creator Epic Games over in-game purchases, and you could be eligible for a refund.
The consumer protection service previously alleged that Fortnite players may have bought something by accident due to Epic Games’ confusing policies, such as making it impossible for users to cancel or dispute charges and has since been successful in its claim.
As outlined in a post on the FTC’s website, the agency said:
“If you bought something in Fortnite, you might not have known that Epic saved your payment information. Or known that your kids could buy things – hundreds of dollars of in-game things – without you confirming their purchase, according to the FTC. And, says the FTC, Fortnite’s setup was so confusing that millions of players were charged for items they didn’t want.
Even worse, Epic made it difficult or impossible to cancel charges, and if you tried to dispute a charge with your credit card company, you might have found yourself unexpectedly and permanently locked out of Fortnite. You know, the game where you might have just spent hundreds of dollars without your knowledge or permission. That also meant you’d lose access to all the content you actually wanted and paid for — simply because you disputed a charge.
Thanks to a settlement with the FTC, Epic now has to make sure players and parents confirm purchases. They can’t lock you out of the game for disputing charges. And Epic also has to pay $245 million to those they unfairly charged or locked out of a Fortnite account.”
The FTC is using the settlement money to provide refunds to Fortnite gamers in the US who may have been affected by Epic Games’ billing and refund practices.
Are you eligible for a Fortnite refund?
You could be owed a refund if you meet the following criteria outlined by the FTC.
Your child made an unauthorized credit card purchase in the Epic Games Store. between January 2017 and November 2018
You were charged in-game currency (V-Bucks) for unwanted in-game items (such as cosmetics, llamas, or battle passes) between January 2017 and September 2022
Your Fortnite account was locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after disputing unauthorized charges with your credit card companies.
If you, your friends, or your family found themselves in either of these scenarios and the dates outlined by the FTC match up, you’ll be eligible for a refund. This could be a couple of bucks or potentially hundreds of dollars depending on the severity of how much was spent.
What do I need to do to get a Fortnite refund?
If you’re eligible, you don’t need to take any action right now. The FTC will be providing more information about the refund program in the future and will post updates on its website – FTC.gov/Fortnite – and will also send email notices to customers who paid for in-game purchases.
Epic Games also has to pay a $275 million penalty for violating children’s privacy laws. In a post on the FTC’s website, the agency said:
“As part of a proposed federal court order filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the FTC, Epic will pay a $275 million monetary penalty for violating the COPPA Rule—the largest penalty ever obtained for violating an FTC rule. Additionally, in a first-of-its-kind provision, Epic will be required to adopt strong privacy default settings for children and teens, ensuring that voice and text communications are turned off by default.”
Even though the two settlements from Epic Games are record-breaking in nature, it’s unlikely to serve as nothing more than a speed bump in Fortnite’s incredible momentum. The game continues to attract millions of players every day, many of which are happy to part ways with their cash for the latest cosmetic items and subscribe to the newest battle pass. Players of the game recently raised $144 million for Ukraine relief in just two weeks, further cementing Fortnite’s enduring popularity.
Still, it’s great to see Epic Games being held accountable for actions that have clearly had a negative impact on consumers, especially those that may have been charged without knowing or have previously failed to obtain a refund in the past.
The FTC’s next battle involves Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard takeover. The Federal Trade Commission is suing to block the acquisition and is also trying to block Meta from acquiring Within.