Some buyers of the popular video game Fortnite can expect to see some extra V-Bucks in their account soon.

Following a December 2022 ruling from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the company behind Fortnite, Epic Games, will pay $245 million in refunds to customers for allegedly deceptive user-interface design choices.

According to the FTC, the company charged parents and gamers of all ages for unwanted items and locked the accounts of customers who disputed wrongful charges with their credit card companies.

"Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that tricked Fortnite users, including teenagers and children," FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement.

Customers must fit into the criteria below to qualify for the upcoming Fortnite refund:

  • Parents whose children made an unauthorized credit card purchase in the Epic Games Store between January 2017 and November 2018.
  • Fortnite players who were charged in-game currency (V-Bucks) for unwanted in-game items (such as cosmetics, llamas, or battle passes) between January 2017 and September 2022.
  • Fortnite players whose accounts were locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after disputing unauthorized charges with their credit card companies.

No program has been created yet to distribute refunds to customers as part of the settlement. The FTC said it will post updates on its website and email customers who paid for in-game purchases once the program has launched.

Epic Games said in a statement that it has made several changes over the past few years "to ensure our ecosystem meets the expectations of our players and regulators, which we hope will be a helpful guide for others in our industry."

Now, it is possible for players to get refunds on any purchase made with V-Bucks in Fortnite using return tickets. Every account has three return tickets which can be used at any time. Players will be given one new ticket every 365 days if their account retains less than three.

FTC U.S.