FTC Finalizes Order For Epic Games To Pay $245 Million For “Tricking Users Into Making Unwanted Charges”

Today, the Federal Trade Commission finalized an order for Epic Games to pay $245 million to consumers. The charges are an additional fine settled back in December when the organization also ordered Epic to pay $275 million for violating children’s privacy law. The amount finalized today is intended to compensate consumers for “dark patterns and billing practices” in Fortnite that tricked players into making purchases unintentionally. This includes children making unauthorized charges without their parent’s approval in the popular battle royale.

In addition to ordering the payment, the FTC’s order also prohibits Epic Games from using “dark patterns” or other methods that don’t obtain “affirmative consent” from consumers to charge them. It also bars Epic from blocking players who dispute unauthorized charges from accessing their accounts.

The FTC voted 4-0 to approve the order. The full order, including the portion to be paid for violating the children’s privacy law, can be viewed on the FTC website. It’s also worth noting that now that the order has been finalized, any future infractions can earn Epic a financial penalty of $46,517 each.