Fortnite Players in the US Have Until February 29, 2024, to Request Refunds for Unwanted In-Game Purchases

Fortnite players in the United States who believe they were erroneously charged for unwanted purchases during gameplay now have until February 29, 2024, to request a refund through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The deadline was initially set to end in January 2024 but has been extended due to the ongoing claims process initiated in September 2023.

The FTC notified approximately 37 million eligible Fortnite users about the extension and will continue emailing potential refund recipients until the deadline expires. To be eligible for a refund, players must have been charged in-game currency for products they did not intend to purchase between January 2017 and September 2022. This also applies to children who made unintended purchases using their parents’ accounts between January 2017 and November 2018.

It is important to note that some users who sought support from Epic Games or attempted to reconcile charges with their credit card companies had their accounts locked. The extension comes as another setback for Epic Games, which is also facing accusations of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule in a separate ruling.

In response to the FTC claims case, Epic Games has changed its policy on saving payment information and now offers users a more direct way to opt in or out of saving payment-related information. The company issued a statement, acknowledging, “No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here.”