Epic Games, the studio behind Fortnite, has been officially ordered to pay $245 million in refunds to players. This order comes from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after the government body ruled that Epic Games utilized confusing button configurations that "tricked" players into making unwanted purchases.
This $245 million refund is part of a settlement Epic Games made with the FTC back in December 2022. At the time of that settlement, Epic Games will pay $275 million to the FTC for violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and another $245 million was to paid out as refunds for Epic's use of "dark patterns" to trick people into making unintentional purchases.
"Fortnite's counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration led players to incur unwanted charges based on the press of a single button. The company also made it easy for children to make purchases while playing Fortnite without requiring any parental consent.
"The order also prohibits Epic from charging consumers through the use of dark patterns or from otherwise charging consumers without obtaining their affirmative consent," the press release continues. "Additionally, the order bars Epic from blocking consumers from accessing their accounts for disputing unauthorised charges." - Statements shared by a press release from the FTC
"The order also prohibits Epic from charging consumers through the use of dark patterns or from otherwise charging consumers without obtaining their affirmative consent," the press release continues. "Additionally, the order bars Epic from blocking consumers from accessing their accounts for disputing unauthorised charges." - Statements shared by a press release from the FTC
The FTC plans to make refunds available to:
- Parents whose children made an unauthorized credit card purchase in the Epic Games Store between January 2017 and November 2018
- Fortnite players who were charged in-game currency (V-Bucks) for unwanted in-game items (such as cosmetics, llamas, or battle passes) between January 2017 and September 2022
- Fortnite players whose accounts were locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after disputing unauthorized charges with their credit card companies.