First as part of a settlement announced In December 2022, the FTC ordered the video game maker to pay $245 million to settle allegations that it used illegal billing practices involving design gimmicks. Known as the black pattern To involuntarily submit charges to players. The agency said it was the largest refund ever in a gaming case.
The FTC says it is sending more than 629,000 payments on Monday, with more payments to follow at a later date. About half of the first installment of payments will be made by PayPal, and the other half by check. In total, consumers will receive $72 million in refunds, according to the agency.
How much will each customer receive?
The average payout is about $114, the FTC said. Epic Games customers who are entitled to refunds chose their payment method when submitting the claim form. Customers who chose to receive PayPal payments have 30 days to redeem the funds, while check recipients have 90 days to cash them.
What did Epic Games do?
The FTC alleges that the Fortnite maker used dark patterns along with several other tactics to trick users into making unwanted purchases.
For example, according to the FTC, an “inconsistent, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration” could easily lead to Fortnite players incurring unwanted charges with a single button press. Additionally, attempting to transition the game from sleep to wake mode often triggers unwanted purchases. Other times, pressing the “adjacent button” while trying to preview an item causes a charge.
FTC Chair Lena M. Khan said in December 2022, when the settlement was first announced, “As our complaints note, Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that made Fortnite users cheated, including teenagers and children.” “Protecting the public, and especially children, from online privacy attacks and dark patterns is a top priority for the Commission, and these enforcement actions make it clear to businesses that the FTC is cracking down on these illegal practices. has been.”