Players of the smash-hit online multiplayer game Fortnite remain entitled to millions of dollars in settlement money, federal regulators announced on Wednesday, with some checks arriving later this month and further applications for payments open through early July.
The checks stem from allegations that as many as 37 million people were duped into making unwanted in-game purchases through confusing design practices.
Under a 2022 settlement with federal regulators, the game’s developer, Epic Games Inc., agreed to $520 million in fines and penalties, including $245 million in refunds.
The government is sending 969,173 payments, worth a collective $126 million, to players between June 25 and June 26, according to the Federal Trade Commission, bringing total funds dispersed under the settlement to nearly $200 million.
As part of Wednesday’s announcement, the trade commission extended the claim process for those who may have made the in-game purchases in question.
Fortnite players who were charged in-game currency for unwanted purchases between January 2017 and September 2022 are directed to file claims at www.fortniterefund.com/file-a-claim.
The deadline to submit a claim is July 9, and individuals must be 18 or older to submit a payment request, or have a parent or guardian submit one for them.
In December, officials announced a previous round of payoffs, returning over $72 million in funds through more than 629,000 payments.
Prior to the settlement, the federal government accused the game maker of luring players into unwanted purchases with design choices including a confusing in-game layout, and features that allowed charges to be authorized when players were trying to switch the game off sleep mode, while the title was in a loading screen, or when players were previewing a potential purchase.
Last year, the trade commission reached a separate $275 million agreement with Epic over allegations it broke the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule.
