The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is delivering payouts to people who were tricked into making unintended in-game purchases in Fortnite. The first round of payments from a $245 million settlement has started going out to those affected.
In the settlement, Epic Games was found to have used design tricks known as dark patterns to lead players to incur unwanted charges based on the press of a single button. The FTC concluded that this practice was unfair and ordered Epic to pay $245 million.
As of now, 629,344 payments are going out to eligible recipients, with an average payout of around $114 per customer. The payouts can be received via PayPal or check, and recipients are asked to cash the check within 90 days or accept the PayPal payment within 30 days.
Players who have not yet filed a claim can still do so. The claims window is open until January 10, 2025. To file, applicants must be at least 18 years old, provide their Epic account ID and a claim number (or a parent/guardian to complete the form on behalf of minors). Filing a claim will not affect the player’s Fortnite account.
The settlement applies to players who were charged for in-game currency between January 2017 and September 2022, or if they made unauthorized credit card charges as children between January 2017 and November 2018.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming