The initial wave of refund payments has reached Fortnite players who, according to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), were deceived by Epic Games, the developer of the popular video game Fortnite, into making unintended purchases.
Payments have been disbursed to individuals who submitted a claim before the original February 2024 deadline. However, there's still an opportunity to participate in this settlement if you missed the previous window.
The FTC alleges that 'Fortnite's counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration led players of all ages to incur unwanted charges due to the press of a single button.' This issue stemmed from the item shop's previous setup, which allowed players to make a purchase with a single, immediate button push, with only a brief window to cancel the purchase.
The introduction of the 'hold-to-purchase' interaction in the shop and the 24-hour window to cancel a purchase were implemented as a result of this and similar lawsuits in Europe.
As part of the claims process, users could select to be paid via check or PayPal. Those who chose PayPal and have an approved claim—which the FTC estimates to be about half of the 629,344 payments in this round—should have received the funds in their accounts on Monday. Those who opted for a check will receive it at a later date.
This round of payments amounted to approximately $72 million, meaning users received an average of slightly over $100, though the totals varied based on individual spending during the applicable settlement period, with some players receiving $250-300.
For those who haven't filed a claim but wish to participate in these refunds, it's still possible to do so. This first round of payments represents only a third of the total amount Epic is required to pay, and the FTC is still accepting claims on its website. However, this is only for players who played Fortnite prior to September 2022, so newer players are not eligible.
Source link: https://www.gamespot.com
