An agency is currently paying over 72 million US dollars to Fortnite players. But can players in Germany or other countries in Europe also receive money?
Why are players getting money? The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is paying over 72 million US dollars to 629,344 Fortnite players.
The FTC accused Epic Games of wrongfully charging players for unwanted purchases. Additionally, the developer allowed children to accrue unauthorized costs without their parents’ permission. A third allegation states that Epic Games blocked users from accessing purchased content who disputed unauthorized charges.
Epic Games agreed to pay money to settle the FTC’s allegations (via ftc.gov). However, the money will be paid out by the FTC, not by Epic or Fortnite itself.
Do German players also receive money? No, the FTC has announced that it is currently limiting payments to Fortnite players in the United States.
Players in Germany and other European countries, which currently reside outside the USA, are not eligible for the refund payment at this time (via ftc.gov).
What must American players consider? For US players, the following requirements apply to receive money from the FTC:
- Players were charged in-game currency for items they did not want between January 2017 and September 2022.
- The player’s child charged their credit card without the player’s knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018.
- The player’s account was suspended between January 2017 and September 2022 after they complained to their credit card company about unauthorized charges.
- The player must be at least 18 years old to fill out an application form. Alternatively, a parent or guardian must fill out the application form.
Additionally, the application must be completed by January 10, 2025. Applications received by the FTC after January 10 will not receive a refund.
As early as December 2022, we reported on MeinMMO that Epic Games had to pay 245 million US dollars in refunds to players according to an FTC report because they deceived players in Fortnite. Additionally, the company had to pay a fine of 275 million USD for allegedly violating children’s privacy with the battle royale shooter: Epic has to pay 259 million euros in fines for allegedly violating children’s privacy with Fortnite
