By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, AP Business Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is sending out the latest round of refunds to consumers it says were “tricked” into purchases they didn’t want from Fortnite maker Epic Games — and eligible players who haven’t been compensated yet still have time to apply.
In an announcement this week, the FTC said it was distributing more than 969,000 refunds totaling over $126 million to consumers on Wednesday and Thursday. That follows the regulator’s first round of payments amounting to more than $72 million, which went out in December 2024.
The refunds are part of a $520 million settlement that Epic agreed to pay back in 2022 — to address complaints revolving around children’s privacy and payment methods on its popular Fortnite video game. At the time, the FTC had alleged that the gaming giant used deceptive online design tactics to trick Fortnite players, including children, into making unintended purchases “based on the press of a single button.”
Consumers could be charged while doing something as simple as attempting the wake the game from sleep mode, for example, or by pressing a nearby button when trying to preview an item, the agency said. The FTC also accused Epic of blocking some users who disputed the charges from accessing the content they purchased.
Beyond a $275 million fine related to collecting personal information for players under the age of 13, the settlement, which was finalized in 2023, included $245 million in customer refunds. Between December’s payments and the refunds sent out this week, about $198 million of that has been sent out — leaving roughly $47 million left to be distributed.
The latest refunds are being doled out to consumers who filed a valid claim before Feb. 14 — meaning that any claims filed after that date are still under review, according to the FTC.
And the FTC also says it’s reopening the claims process. Eligible consumers who have not been compensated yet now have until July 9 to file a claim.
If accepted, the refunds come in the form of checks or PayPal payments. To apply and learn more about the settlement, users should visit the FTC’s website. People who are eligible for these payouts include Fortnite players who were charged in-game currency for items they didn’t want or saw their account locked after complaining to a credit card company about wrongful charges between January 2017 and September 2022 — as well as parents whose kids made charges on their credit cards without their knowledge from January 2018 through November 2018.
The Associated Press reached out to Epic for comment on Thursday. At the time the settlement was announced in December 2022, Epic said it accepted the agreement because it wanted “to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.” The Cary, North Carolina-based company added that it was already rolling out changes “to ensure our ecosystem meets the expectations of our players and regulators, which we hope will be a helpful guide for others in our industry.”