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22nd September 2023
08:59am BST
The developers of Fortnite have agreed to pay out a mind-boggling $245 million in compensation, with tens of millions of people expected to receive part of the sum.
Epic Games is the developer behind one of the most popular games of recent years Fortnite, which has an average of 239 million monthly players.
The multiplayer shooter game sees 100 players take part in a battle royale on a virtual island to be the last character standing.
The colourful, cartoon-like design and gameplay made Fortnite popular with gamers of all ages.
Although the game itself is free to play, gamers can make in-game purchases such as items to customise their characters - known as 'skins' - and it's this that has landed Epic Games in trouble.
Some parents had accused the Fortnite developers of 'tricking' their kids into buying items in the game using real-world money without realising or without their parents' permission.
Parents also spoke of their children becoming so addicted to the game that they would forgo sleeping, eating and showering so they could play it.
Epic Games was accused of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and in December 2022 the company agree to pay a settlement of $520 million as a consequence.
This sum covered a $275 million fine relating to how Fortnite collects data on its users, including those aged under 13, without informing parents.
The rest will be paid out in refunds, the BBC reports.
Epic Games were also accused of implementing methods in the game designed to trick players into making unwanted purchases, known as 'dark patterns.'
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said Epic Games used "deceptive interfaces" that could trigger purchases while the game loaded.
In a news release, the FTC said: "The company also made it easy for children to rack up charges without parental consent and locked the accounts of consumers who disputed unauthorized charges with their credit card companies."
The commission has begun contacting 37 million people to alert them to the compensation, and that they could be entitled to some of the $245 million.
Fortnite has also reportedly started sending messages to users about them possibly being entitled to refunds.
If you think you could be entitled to compensation, a dedicated page has been set up on the FTC's website.
Claims will take four weeks to complete, and people have until January 17, 2024, to make a submission. To be eligible for the refund, you need to be over the age of 18 and must have made an unwanted purchase between January 2017 and September 2022.
Parents whose children used their card details without their permission have to prove their money was spent on the game between January 2017 and November 2018.
Others can file a claim if their accounts were locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after complaining to their credit card company about the wrongful charges.
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