FTC notifies consumers of claims process for Epic’s Fortnite settlement

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is letting consumers who were charged for unwanted purchases on Epic’s Fortnite video game platform apply for a refund.. The FTC’s notice said in part: “On September 19, the FTC began sending emails to millions of Fortnite gamers, and will continue sending additional emails for one month. Parents that would be eligible must have been charged in-game currency for items you didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022; Your child made charges to your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018; Your account was locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after you complained to your credit card company about wrongful charges. The notice added that a refund filer must be at least 18 to complete a claim form.and “If you are not yet 18, a parent or guardian must complete the claim form for you.”The Fly notes that Epic Games is a privately owned company. CEO Tim Sweeney owned more than half of its shares, while the Chinese technology and entertainment holding company Tencent (TCEHY) held a 40% stake in the game maker. Other companies in the space include: Electronic Arts (EA), Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Take-Two (TTWO) Nintendo (NTDOY), Sony (SONY), Microsoft (MSFT), and Nintendo (NTDOY).