The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has started issuing refunds to consumers affected by Epic Games' practices in Fortnite, which resulted in unwanted purchases of in-game items like perks and emotes.
GamesIndustry reports that the FTC is distributing the first round of payments, totaling $629,344, to impacted users. Half of these payments are being issued via checks, while the other half are being sent through PayPal. The average refund amount is approximately $114. Remaining refunds will be distributed at a later time.
These refunds are part of a settlement reached in December 2022, in which the FTC charged Epic Games with using deceptive tactics to encourage unwanted purchases of virtual currency in Fortnite. The publisher was fined $245 million for this violation, the funds from which are being used for the refunds.
This is not the only fine levied against Epic Games by the FTC. The company was also charged with violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent and making it difficult for parents to delete their children's data. This resulted in a separate $275 million fine, bringing the total to $520 million.
