What Does The Epic Games FTC Ruling Mean For Fortnite Players?
Everything you need to know about the Epic Games FTC ruling and what it means for Fortnite players.
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Are you wondering what the Epic Games FTC ruling means for Fortnite players? Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that Epic Games would be required to pay out an exorbitant settlement in fines and refunds to Fortnite players as a result of some questionable practices. Here's what you need to know about the Epic Games FTC ruling and its impact on Fortnite players.
- Loot up quickly with Fortnite Hot Spots.
Fortnite Epic Games FTC Ruling Explained
According to the FTC, Epic Games, the publisher and developer of Fortnite, partook in nefarious activity deserving of punishment. Specifically, the FTC alleges that Epic Games defied the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and utilised design tricks called dark patterns to swindle millions of Fortnite players into making inadvertent purchases.
To repent for their actions, Epic Games has agreed to pay $520 million total in relief, $245 million of which will go towards refunding consumers for Fortnite's dark patterns and billing practices.
Fortnite Epic Games FTC Ruling: Am I Eligible For A Refund?
If any of the below apply to you, you may be eligible for a refund:
- Parents whose children made an unauthorised 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 unauthorised charges with their credit card companies.
- The refunds will be in real-world currency, not V-Bucks. If you need V-Bucks, find out how to get free V-Bucks in Fortnite.
Fortnite Epic Games FTC Ruling: How Do I Get A Refund?
If you think you're deserving of a refund payment, sit tight for now. As things progress, the FTC will send email notices to customers who paid for in-game purchases. However, be wary of scammers. The FTC will never ask for payment in exchange for filing a claim or getting a refund.
To stay up to date on the Epic Games FTC ruling, sign up for Federal Trade Commission Email Updates.
What Does The Epic Games FTC Ruling Mean For The Future Of Fortnite?
To comply with the FTC's ruling, Epic Games has already implemented some major changes to Fortnite, including:
- Text and voice chat is blocked, and a mature language filter is enabled by default when the account holder is under 18 years old.
- You are now asked if you want to save your payment information after purchases.
- To buy an item, you must hold the purchase key/button for several seconds.
- All players have access to a limited number of Refund Tickets, and any accidental purchases can be refunded within 24 hours as long as the items haven't been used in-game.
- Accounts banned because of chargebacks have been reinstated.
A side effect of this ruling could be less money dedicated to Fortnite's competitive scene. Fortnite is famous for the large prize pools allocated to its official tournaments, but after receiving a record-breaking fine, prize money may be labelled superfluous.
With that, you're all caught up on the Epic Games FTC ruling and what it means for Fortnite players. If you were negatively impacted by Epic's actions, expect to hear from the FTC soon regarding a potential refund.
If you don't want to spend money, there are plenty of free Fortnite Skins.
About The Author
Coleman Hamstead
Coleman is a freelance journalist at GGRecon. While gaming has always been his passion, it wasn’t until he worked as a Sports Journalist at the Community College of Baltimore County that he found his enthusiasm for writing. In the time since Coleman has had his work featured in publications such as The Washington Post/Launcher and ESTNN. Coleman is a graduate of Towson University with a degree in Sport Management and Business Administration.
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