More than 600,000 Fortnite players charged with unwanted items can expect to receive part of a multi-million dollar settlement from the popular gaming platform’s parent company, Epic Games.
The most recent payment of $72 million as part omuch larger settlement agreement related to the company’s deceptive business practices, resulting in Epic Games being ordered to pay more than $500 million.
The 2022 ruling ordered the video game company to pay a monetary penalty of $275 million for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule — the largest penalty ever obtained for violating a Federal Trade Commission rule.
Under a separate proposed administrative order, the company was ordered to pay $245 million to reimburse consumers for its shady billing patterns and practices, marking the largest refund amount ever FTC in gaming case and its largest administrative order ever, according to federal consumer protection. agency
According to the FTCparent company of Fortnite epic games allows children to accumulate unauthorized in-game charges without their parents’ permission.
The FTC said the company blocked users who contested the wrongful charges from accessing the purchased content.
- Read more: Fortnite creator ordered to pay more than half a million for violating children’s privacy
This round of payments is being sent to 629,344 players who filed a claim related to the lawsuit before October 8, 2024; however, the FTC is still reviewing claims filed after that date and “will provide more information soon.”
The deadline to submit is January 10, 2025. You will need a claim number from your Epic Account ID to submit and you can. online here.
Am I qualified to file a claim?
You may be entitled to a refund if you were charged for in-game items you didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022 or if your child made purchases on your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018.
You can also request a refund if your account was banned between January 2017 and September 2022 after disputing illegal charges on Fortnite purchases.
- Read more: The feds are sending $2 million to consumers linked to the “free” credit reporting service.
Those who have already filed a claim will receive their share of the settlement using the payment type they chose when filing.
If you receive a check, cash it within 90 days. If you receive a payment from PayPal, please accept it within 30 days.