As one of the most popular live-service games originating and played in the U.S., Epic Games is under the microscope of government agencies. After an investigation and suit brought against the company by the Federal Trade Commission, Epic Games has agreed to pay over $500 million as a settlement, with $245 million being reimbursed to players, according to a post on the Epic website.
Because of this, many players are curious if they’ll be able to get free V-Bucks awarded to their account from the settlement. Here’s all the information you need to know about whether or not Fortnite players will get free V-Bucks in the Epic settlement with the FTC.
Will players get free V-Bucks from the FTC settlement?
Players will most likely not receive this reimbursement as free V-Bucks, especially when you consider that Epic is paying $245 million to the FTC. Since the money is going to the FTC first, it will likely be up to this government agency to issue refunds in U.S. dollars. Players will likely need to fill out a form with proof of money spent during a certain period of time.
Because of the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Fortnite players in the U.S. over the last five years, it’s unlikely that anyone applying for reimbursement will receive any considerable amount of money. Depending on the number of people applying, players may be able to spend the money on V-Bucks if that’s what they wish. In that way, the money makes its way back to Epic.
Players should keep an eye on official FTC channels to see when they can begin requesting their share of the payout. After applying, it will likely take a few weeks before players and parents can see that money returned to their account.
While half a billion dollars is a considerable amount, Epic is likely to make it back in the next couple of seasons of the game. The developer has agreed to pay out this amount in the hopes of being an example of a company willing to look for ways to modernize its online services to keep up with the evolving government requirements.
