FTC paying out first round of Fortnite refunds

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is sending out 629,344 payments worth more than $72 million to Fortnite players as part of a settlement deal with Epic Games, according to an FTC announcement. The $72 million is intended to compensate Fortnite players who were "tricked" into making unauthorized purchases.

Epic Games was ordered to pay $520 million just under two years ago to settle allegations that the gamemaker “used design tactics known as dark patterns” to deceive customers into making unwanted purchases and allowed children to rack up charges without parental involvement. Epic Games was also accused of blocking users from their purchased content when they disputed the unauthorized charges. About half that money was paid as penalties to the FTC directly. The rest is earmarked for player refunds, and today's $72 million covers a little under a third of the total amount, with the rest to be distributed “as a later date,” according to the announcement.

Fortnite players can still submit claims for unauthorized charges online at ftc.gov/fortnite.