Can you refund your Fortnite account after FTC's $520 million fine?

Epic Games came under fire earlier this week for their popular game Fortnite being alleged to attract players to spend their money on its in-game currency called V-Bucks. It featured a broken purchase system that authorized several individuals under the age of 13 to make unauthorized purchases using their parents' credit cards.

The company was levied a record fine of $520 million by the Federal Trade Commission, USA. They stressed on the fact that the developers of the game use practices of "dark patterns," or manipulative user interfaces making it easy to spend money unintentionally. They also added that some users lost money even on loading screens or while booting the game up.

FTC said that out of the $520 Million, $245 Million would go to players who were tricked into purchases they didn’t intend to make. Upon unauthorized purchases on their Fortnite account, players were locked out after reporting it to their Credit Card company.

However, there are going to be several parameters upon which only eligible players will be able to file for a refund claim. While the community, who have been active Fortnite players since 2017, are fully aware of the issues raised by the FTC. Here's how you can check your eligibility for a refund.

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Players can file for a refund of their Fortnite account on the FTC website

According to the FTC, out of the total fine Epic Games is due to pay, $245 Million will be refunded to players under several parameters as part of the damage incurred by the video game developer. The FTC refunds will be available to players and users across three main categories:

1) Parents whose children made an unauthorized credit card purchase in the Epic Games Store between January 2017 and November 2018

2) Players who were charged in-game currency (V-Bucks) for unwanted in-game item shop product (such as cosmetics, llamas, or battle passes) between January 2017 and September 2022

3) Fortnite players whose accounts were locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after disputing unauthorized charges against their credit card companies.

However, to apply for a refund, players must fill out a form that will be released in the future and check their eligibility on the FTC site. Although players can check their order history under their Epic Games account to see any purchases made in Fortnite between the dates mentioned above.

To claim a refund on your Fortnite account, head to the FTC site and look for more info on their blog. However, they announced the following on their site:

When we have more information about the refund program, we will post updates (on the website) and send email notices to customers who paid for in-game purchases.

They further added that refund seekers should be careful and watch out for those who may scam them while they seek a refund, saying the FTC never asks players to pay to file a claim or get a refund. As of now, there has been no further info regarding the claims or how players can get their Fortnite money back. Players should keep all their transaction records handy before the form comes out.