You Can Still Apply for Payment Under the “Fortnite” Agreement
Fortnite is over seven years old, but that doesn’t mean it’s outdated. The game is still played by over a million people daily , with approximately 650 million registered players in total. Many of these players can log in with zero animosity toward the game or its creator, Epic Games. But the company has offended others, too, at least according to the Federal Trade Commission. And to remedy this, payments are currently underway as part of a legal settlement .
What did Epic Games do?
It’s been two years since the Federal Trade Commission ordered Epic Games to pay more than $245 million in fines, including $72 million in direct refunds to players. In case you missed it, back in 2022, the Federal Trade Commission accused the company of having “illogical, inconsistent, and confusing button configurations,” forcing users to buy things they didn’t intend to, all because they clicked the wrong option.
These random accusations were truly random. The FTC said players will be charged when loading a game, waking up from sleep mode, or simply viewing an item without intending to purchase it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of these unwanted purchases were made by children playing the game. Parents will likely only notice how many payments their children have actually cheated on when they check their credit card statements.
The Federal Trade Commission says you are entitled to a refund if any of the following apply to you:
-
Between January 2017 and September 2022, you were charged in-game currency for unnecessary items.
-
Your child made charges on your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018.
-
Your account was suspended between January 2017 and September 2022 after you complained to your credit card company about improper charges.
When will payments start?
Payments are now being sent out to applicants – at least for the first round. On Monday, exactly 629,344 payments were sent, 50% through PayPal and the other half coming through checks. If you were to file a claim, you would then indicate which of these two forms of payment you would like to receive and possibly be included in the first round.
Although payouts vary, the average amount is $114 . If you received money through PayPa, you must claim it within 30 days. If you receive a check, you have 90 days to cash it.
Can I still apply for a refund?
If you didn’t participate in this first round, don’t worry: there will be further rounds of payments. The Federal Trade Commission says it is still investigating claims filed after October 8th, so your claim may still need to be processed.
Plus, you still have time to apply for a refund if you haven’t already. Visit the official FTC website and file a claim using your claim number or Epic account ID by the January 10, 2025 deadline.