The Federal Trade Commission finalized an order on Tuesday Fortnite Developer Epic Games to pay $245 million In fines, the use of “dark patterns” to trick players into paying unwanted or unauthorized fees.
Fortnite used “unintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration” that tricked players into spamming charges with a single button press, according to FTC press release. Furthermore, there was no license-purchase process, allowing minors — a large demographic of the popular battle royale game — to rack up fees without parental consent.
The FTC’s request is part of a larger agreement between the commission and Epic Games beginning in December 2022. According to a press release from Epic Games, the video game developer agreed to the agreement as part of its efforts to “be at the forefront of consumer protection and deliver the best experience for our players.”
Since the agreement, Epic Games has taken measures to prevent unwanted fees, such as increased clarity when it comes to saving payment information and a “purchase retention mechanic” to verify user intent to purchase.
The company has also updated its chargeback policy to account for non-fraudulent fee disputes. Previously, chargebacks would automatically disable the user’s account as a fraud prevention measure. Now, Epic Games restricts account access only when signs of fraud appear.
Epic Games has eight days from the day the order is completed to pay the fine in full. The FTC will distribute the money to affected users at its discretion, though there is currently no time frame for users to expect a refund, according to an FTC spokesperson.
Players who suspect they have been wrongly charged for Fortnite purchases can visit FTC.gov/Fortnite For more information about the recovery process.
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