FTC begins issuing refunds to Fortnite players for "unwanted purchases” totaling $72 million
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has begun issuing $72 million in refunds to Fortnite players for "unwanted purchases" after alleging that Epic Games used "dark patterns" to trick consumers into making unintended in-game purchases.
The details:
The FTC filed its complaint in late 2022 as part of a $520 million settlement with Epic, which was accused of using "dark patterns and billing practices" to trick players of all ages into making unwanted purchases and allowing younger fans to rack up unauthorized charges.
As a result of the settlement, the FTC will now issue 629,344 refunds of varying amounts to eligible players in the coming weeks, with an average payout of $114. The current wave of refunds is only being issued to players who filed a claim before October 8, but the FTC notes that claims can be filed until January 10, 2025, with new applications still being reviewed.
The FTC's complaint claimed that Fortnite players could make accidental purchases with just the "press of a single button," due to the game's "counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration." As a result, claims are available to those who purchased in-game content they "didn't want" between January 2017 and September 2022, or who had their account locked after contacting their credit card company about wrongful charges.
Due to the lack of safety features in Fortnite's early days, parents can also file claims for any purchases made without their permission between January 2017 and November 2018.
More gaming news:
Life is Strange: Double Exposure developer Deck Nine has announced its second wave of layoffs this year, affecting an undisclosed number of employees.
Bandai Namco's cancelled MMORPG Blue Protocol is being revived as a new title, Star Resonance, which will be developed by Tencent-backed studio BOKURA.
