Thousands of Fortnite players may be eligible for refunds after federal officials concluded that Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games, tricked players into spending money on unwanted game purchases.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it will send more than $72 million in refunds to players who were ‘cheated’ by developers.
“The FTC alleges that Fortnite’s counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configurations result in players of all ages being hit with unwanted fees after pressing a single button,” the company said in a Dec. 9 press release.
The $72 million is just a portion of the $245 million the FTC will pay out to players following a 2022 settlement over allegations of “unlawful billing practices.”
The agency had already sent a total of 629,344 payments on December 9. I sent half via PayPal and the rest via personal check.
The government announced in a press release that it plans to send the remaining refunds to players at a later date.
The FTC will award a portion of $72 million in refunds to gamers if they played Fortnite between January 2017 and September 2022. January 10, 2025.
Players who need to file a claim can obtain a claim number by submitting a request to the FTC by mail or email.
Gamers who haven’t received a claim number can still request a refund if they know their Epic Account ID.
Players eligible for a partial refund of the $72 million can fill out a form on the FTC’s website by selecting ‘Apply for Refund’.
Once access has been granted, gamers must enter their information and select a refund payment method.
If players choose PayPal, they must repay the payment within 30 days, or if they choose personal check, they are encouraged to cash it within 90 days.
Gamers can also apply for this refund if their child unknowingly charged their credit card between January 2017 and November 2018.
Players who were locked out of their accounts after filing a complaint with their credit card company for an incorrect charge between January 2017 and September 2018 are also eligible.
The company claimed the average refund for these players was $114 per person, but social media users claimed they received $300 to $400 from the company.
Others claimed they were still waiting for their refunds, while at least two X users tweeted claims that it was ‘easy to fill out’.
Fortnite is a game developed by Epic Games and released in 2017.
The Fortnite refund situation is crazy #Fortnite #fyp pic.twitter.com/Nx0RvqFkrJ
— K-$neaky (@ksneaky99) December 12, 2024
It offers a variety of games and experiences such as Fortnite Battle Royale, LEGO Fortnite, and Rocket Racing.
Players can download it. fortnite On a variety of video game systems, including PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
The game is also available to play Fortnite on iPhone, Android cellular devices, and iPad.
According to the Fortnite website, anyone playing Fortnite on the appropriate device will need a stable internet connection to play the game.
Players can play several games on the platform for free on mobile phones and video game systems.
In 2017, over one million players joined Fortnite, and it currently has an average of over 30 million active users per day.
Despite its popularity, Fortnite has a checkered history.
Fortnite was hit with a hefty $520 million fine in 2022 after the game collected data from young gamers without parental permission.
That’s exactly why the FTC claimed in a 2022 press release that the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and deployed design tricks known as “dark patterns” to trick millions of players into making unintentional purchases.
“According to our complaint, Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and a deceptive interface to deceive Fortnite users, including teenagers and children,” FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said at the time.
‘Protecting the public, especially children, from online privacy violations and dark patterns is a top priority for the Commission, and these enforcement actions make it clear to companies that the FTC is cracking down on this illegal activity.’
After the fine was issued, the company changed its default settings and offered refunds to millions of gamers.
Refunds for these practices were also part of the $245 million settlement, and players eligible for refunds have until January 17, 2024 to submit their claims.
Game Geeks News has affiliate partnerships. This will not affect your edits. Game Geeks News may receive a small commission for products purchased through affiliate links.
by emma saleta December 12, 2024
source
