The video game industry is no stranger to a good lawsuit, whether it be Universal Studios trying to sue Nintendo over Donkey Kong, SEGA claiming The Simpsons: Road Rage was too similar to Crazy Taxi, or CD Projekt RED being sued by its shareholders over a 'misleading' Cyberpunk 2077. When it comes to Epic Games' Fortnite the Battle Royale favorite has barely been out of the news.
The big one was Epic Games vs. Apple, with something of a David and Goliath situation where the publisher tried to take Apple to court over its revenue cut of in-game purchases from Fortnite mobile. Apple countersued by claiming that Epic had breached its terms of contract, and while Fortnite mobile is now back on Epic’s own store, neither side really 'won' this one.
This isn't Epic's only run-in with the law, as a recent lawsuit sees the gaming giant settle for $72 million in refunds with the Federal Trade Commission.
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The FTC says Fortnite 'tricked' players into spending money in-game, with the following claim: "[Fortnite] used design tactics known as dark patterns to trick players into making unwanted purchases, let children rack up unauthorized charges without any parental involvement, and blocked some users who disputed unauthorized charges from accessing their purchased content."
Back in 2022, the FTC obtained an order requiring Epic to pay $245 million, with the first round of $72 million refunds now rolling out.
At the time of the ruling, Epic posted a statement to its website that reads: "We share the underlying principles of fairness, transparency and privacy that the FTC enforces, and the practices referenced in the FTC’s complaints are not how Fortnite operates.
"We will continue to be upfront about what players can expect when making purchases, ensure cancellations and refunds are simple, and build safeguards that help keep our ecosystem safe and fun for audiences of all ages.”
Although you had to have claimed by October 8, 2024, to be included in this round, anyone who submits a claim between now and the final date of January 10, 2025, could be entitled to some money.
You can make a claim if any of the following apply:
1. You paid in-game currency for unwanted items between January 2017 to September 2022
2. Your child used your credit card to make unwanted charges between January 2017 to September 2018
3. Your account was locked between January 2017 to September 2022 after complaining to your credit card company about reportedly wrongful charges
Claimants have to be over the age of 18 or have a parent/guardian complete the form, and at the moment, the FTC has limited its claims to players in the USA. Still, filing a claim is relatively easy, with you encouraged to head to this specific link. It's a simple case of entering your Epic Games ID or claim number if the FTC has contacted you, then sitting back and waiting for it to be reviewed.
The FTC issued 629,344 payments on December 9, with more coming ‘at a later date.' As the average payment comes in at $114, it's no small amount and could hit Epic hard in the pocket.
Epic Games has also been fined $275 million for allegedly violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection [COPPA] rule, meaning its grand total of fines comes in at over $520 million.