‘Fortnite’ players are due a refund of $72million for buying unwanted skins

A number of Fortnite players are owed a refund for buying unwanted ingame skins, according to a ruling from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

• READ MORE: Has gaming outpriced the average player?

The FTC is due to refund up to $72million (£56.6million) in the coming months after it found Fortnite guilty of using “dark patterns” to trick players into making unwanted purchases and let children buy virtual items for real-world money without parental authorisation.

“Fortnite’s counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration led players to incur unwanted charges based on the press of a single button,” reads a new statement from the FTC (via VGC), who first raised the issue in 2022. “For example, players could be charged while attempting to wake the game from sleep mode, while the game was in a loading screen, or by pressing an adjacent button while attempting simply to preview an item.”

The FTC is sending refunds totaling more than $72M to consumers who were tricked by Epic Games, maker of the popular video game Fortnite, into making unwanted purchases: https://t.co/Fmyj2r6PeI /1

— FTC (@FTC) December 9, 2024

According to the FTC’s complaint, Fortnite also locked the accounts of customers who disputed unauthorised charges with their credit card companies, which has been ruled “unlawful”. As part of the settlement, Epic Games is now required to obtain positive consent in before charging Fortnite users.

Players who requested a refund by October 8 will be notified in the coming weeks if they’re eligible, with the average payout said to be around $114 (£90). Another round of payments if due in the coming weeks. Currently only players in the US can claim a refund, and they have until January 10 to do so.

Payments will be made if: 

1. You were charged in-game currency for items you didn’t want between January 2017 to September 2022
2. Your child made charges to your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 to September 2018
3. Your account was locked between January 2017 to September 2022 after you complained to your credit card company about wrongful charges

“No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here,” said Fortnite developer Epic when the ruling was first announced. “Over the past few years, we’ve been making changes to ensure our ecosystem meets the expectations of our players and regulators which we hope will be a helpful guide for others in our industry.”

In other news, Call Of Duty fans want the likes of Blade, Solid Snake and Bluey added to Black Ops 6 after a wave of “goofy” new skins.

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