'Fortnite' refund applications open for $245 million Epic settlement

The US Federal Trade Commission has opened up applications for refunds for "Fortnite" players, as part of a $245 million settlement over alleged bogus in-game purchases.

The FTC finalized an order in March that fined Epic Games $245 million for its alleged use of "dark patterns" in the game Fortnite. On Tuesday, the FTC started taking applications for refunds as part of that settlement.

Epic Games was accused of charging parents and players for unwanted items in the game, using confusing interfaces and techniques designed to make it easy to make mistaken purchases. These patterns included button layouts that the FTC deemed counterintuitive and inconsistent, laid out so that a player could easily press the wrong button and confirm a payment.

There was also the subject of parental consent, as it was alleged Epic made it easy for children to buy in-game items without parental authorization.

For customers who disputed wrongful charges with credit card companies, Epic allegedly locked the related accounts.

The refund claim page at FortniteRefund.com is for people aged 18 or over. Filers can either be players of legal age, or the parent or legal guardian of younger players.

Refunds are available for anyone charged in-game currency for items they didn't want between January 2017 and September 2022. They are also open if a child made charges to a parent's credit card without the parent's knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018.

It also applies if user accounts were locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after a complaint was made to the related credit card company over wrongful charges.

The deadline to file a claim is January 17, 2024.