FTC approves $126 million in Fortnite refunds over ‘dark patterns’
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved $126,000,000 in refunds to be sent to 969,173 Fortnite players as part of a settlement over allegations that Epic Games tricked users into making unwanted purchases.
At the same time, the agency has reopened the claims portal for eligible Fortnite players to submit refund claims, which will be examined for the third round of refunds.
This latest development marks the second phase of the settlement the FTC reached with Epic Games in December 2022, in which the company agreed to pay $520 million to settle allegations of violating children’s privacy laws and using dark patterns to trick millions into making unintentional in-game purchases.
These so-called patterns included:
- Displaying confusing purchase prompts
- Promoting misleading offers
- Allowing underage account holders to make purchases without parental consent
- Charging players unintentionally by waking the game from sleep mode, during the loading screen, or while they attempted to preview an in-game items
These charges occurred without additional confirmation, and those attempting to dispute and reverse them had to go through a complex process that made it likely for them to give up prematurely.
In some cases, these users were blocked from accessing their very accounts before the payment was reversed.
The first round of refunds occurred in December 2024, during which $72,000,000 was distributed among 629,344 eligible Fortnite players.
The average reimbursement in the first round was $114, while in the second, the figure has been raised to $130.
As previously happened, consumers whose reimbursement claims have been approved will be given 90 days to cash their checks or 30 days if they opt to use PayPal as the redemption method.
A dedicated phone line and support email were also set up by Rust Consulting Inc., which handles the refund process.
If you have performed Fortnite purchases between January 2017 and September 2022 that fall into the category of ‘dark patterns’ as those were defined by the FTC, you are invited to submit a claim through this portal until July 9, 2025.
Claimants must be at least 18 years old to complete a claim form. However, parents or guardians can do it on their behalf.
More information about FTC refunds in general is available on this FAQ page.
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