The Federal Trade Commission has announced it will issue refunds to nearly 630,000 Fortnite players after ruling that the maker of the popular video game, Epic Games, duped people “into making unwanted purchases.”
The FTC said in a Dec. 9 press release that it will send more than $72 million to consumers. The average payment is expected to be around $114, according to the FTC.
A settlement was first revealed in December 2022, at which time Epic Games was ordered to pay $245 million to clear up allegations that it used deceptive means to fool players into making unwanted purchases and allowed kids the ability to accrue charges without their parents’ knowledge.
“The FTC alleged that Fortnite’s counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration led players of all ages to incur unwanted charges based on the press of a single button,” the FTC said in the Dec. 9 release. “For example, players could be charged while attempting to wake the game from sleep mode, while the game was in a loading screen, or by pressing an adjacent button while attempting simply to preview an item.”
How do you know if you’re eligible for a refund? And how do you go about filing a claim? Here’s what to know.
How to know if you’re eligible for a Fortnite refund
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The FTC listed on its website the requirements for a refund:
- Between January 2017 and September 2022, you were charged in the game for items you didn’t want.
- Between January 2017 and November 2018, your child charged your credit card in the game without your knowledge.
- Between January 2017 and September 2022, you were locked out of your account after you complained to your credit card about charges you didn’t want.
If you already filed a claim after Oct. 8, you do not need to file anything further, according to the FTC.
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How Fortnite players can apply for a refund
Eligible consumers still have time to submit a claim at www.ftc.gov/fortnite.
Anyone interested in learning more about their payments can call refund administrator Rust Consulting, Inc. at 833-915-0880 or send an email to admin@fortniterefund.com. People can also visit the FTC website to learn more about the refund process.
he deadline to file a claim is Jan. 10, 2025, the FTC said.
How Fortnite players receive their refunds
The FTC said it is in the process of sending a first round of payments, with additional refunds expected at a later date. So far, there are a total of 629,344 total payments.
Affected consumers chose how they’d like to be paid when they filled out a claim form. Those people who received money through PayPal should redeem payment within 30 days. Consumers who receive checks have 90 days to cash their payment.
How to find your Epic account ID
When submitting a claim for a refund, people are required to provide a claim number or an Epic account ID.
Epic Games provided on its website steps to find your Epic account ID online:
- Visit www.epicgames.com.
- Click “sign in” in the top right corner and sign in.
- Hover over your Epic Games account name and click on “account.”
- Your account ID is listed under “account information.”
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