- Fortnite players who were “tricked” into making unwanted purchases can now file refund claims with the Federal Trade Commission. The average payment is $114 per player.
The Federal Trade Commission has begun distributing refunds to Fortnite players following a settlement with Epic Games over the practice of unwanted purchases.
More than $72 million of the $245 million settlement will be distributed to players, the agency said earlier this week. That will work out to an average payment of about $114 per player.
Epic, as part of the settlement, did not confirm or deny allegations it had “tricked” people into making purchases in the game. However, it did agree to overhaul its privacy policies and chat and text functions, as well as reconfigure how it charges game users.
If you (or your child) is an avid Fortnite player and you think you’re eligible for this refund, here’s how to go about claiming it.
First, go to the FTC site to fill out the official refund form. You’ll need to have either a previously obtained claim number or your Epic Account ID and must be located in the U.S.
All claims must be made by someone over 18, so if the charges were run up by your child, you’ll have to fill out the form for them. You’ll have the option of having the refund sent via PayPal or check.
The FTC is accepting claims through Jan. 10, 2025.
To be eligible for the payment, you need to qualify. The FTC lists three factors for that:
- You were charged in-game currency for items you didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022.
- Your child made charges to your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018.
- Your account was locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after you complained to your credit card company about wrongful charges.
Players who file a claim will not lose any items they have purchased in the game and their Fortnite account will not be affected.