Fortnite players will receive $245 million from Epic Games after the recent lawsuit settlement. The video game developer was fined by the Federal Trade Commission and will have to refund its players.
According to the FTC, Epic was supposed to prevent accidental purchases of cosmetic items from the Item Shop. The company released such an update just a few months ago. However, it was too late.
This article will explain everything you need to know about the recent lawsuit. We will also explain how to get your money back from Epic Games after the settlement and what you need to do.
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Epic Games will refund $245 million to Fortnite players
Thanks to the v21.51 Fortnite update, which was released on September 7, 2022, players can now get quick refunds for their unwanted purchases. In addition, they now have to hold down the Purchase button instead of simply tapping it once.
These changes have drastically improved the Item Shop, but Epic Games released them too late, which is why the company was fined by the FTC. In total, Epic will have to pay $520 million in fines and refunds.
While the changes that arrived with the v21.51 update are certainly great, a lot of players have accidentally purchased cosmetic items before it. Due to this, these players will receive refunds from Epic Games.
If you are someone who has accidentally purchased a cosmetic item, there is a good chance that you will receive a refund. According to the FTC, these are the players who will get a refund:
- 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.
If you believe that you are eligible for the payment, there is nothing you need to do right now. The FTC is still collecting more information regarding these refunds and will post more information in the future.
To stay updated with the latest news regarding this process, please visit FTC.gov/Fortnite or this page to receive email updates.
How much money will players receive?
Fortnite Battle Royale has more than 400 million accounts, but it's currently unknown how many of these accounts are free users. Considering that the video game is extremely popular, it is very unlikely that players will receive large amounts of money.
While $245 million sounds like a lot, the amount won't be significant when split among all the eligible players. Due to this, there is a good chance that Epic Games will send V-Bucks to all of them.
At the moment, it is unknown when exactly players will receive the refund. However, it will most likely be processed in 2023.