United States of America: Issued first round of FTC refunds concerning investigation into Epic Games over alleged dark patterns use

On 9 December 2024, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued the first round of refunds to Fortnite players who were charged for unwanted in-game items by Epic Games. The refunding process follows a settlement with Epic Games in March 2023, where Epic Games was accused of using deceptive practices and dark patterns to encourage players to make unintended purchases in Fortnite. The FTC's complaint, first announced in December 2022, alleged that Epic Games employed various design patterns to entice players, regardless of their age, into making unintended in-game purchases. The company also facilitated unauthorised charges by children without parental consent and locked the accounts of consumers who disputed these charges with their credit card companies. A second round of payments will be issued at a later date.