Parents whose children unknowingly purchased virtual items on the well-known video game Fortnite may soon be eligible for a refund. More than 37 million individuals are receiving emails from American regulators informing them that they may be entitled to pay as part of a legal settlement with Epic Games Inc., the company that created Fortnite.
Late this year, the Federal Trade Commission stated that Epic Games will pay $520 million in fines and refunds to resolve allegations over the privacy of children and its payment systems, which deceived users into making unauthorized purchases.
$245 million in consumer refunds are included in the $520 million total as part of a settlement that was reached in March. It’s intended to help with some of the costs associated with unused in-game currency known as V-Bucks as well as virtual goods like costumes and garish purple llama treasure packages.
To file a claim, consumers have until January 17th. Additionally, Epic Games had agreed to pay a $275 million fine for gathering personal data on Fortnite users under the age of 13 without their knowledge or permission. It was the largest fine ever levied for violating an FTC regulation.
Users of Fortnite who were charged in-game currency for items they didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022, people whose children made unauthorized charges to their credit cards between January 2017 and November 2018, and people whose accounts were locked after they complained to their credit card company about wrongful charges are all eligible for refunds, according to the FTC.
After the matter was resolved in December, Epic Games declared that it would introduce new protections to stop inadvertent transactions. It pointed users to the FTC’s page in an amended statement on Tuesday.
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