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Epic has confirmed it's settled a class action lawsuit pertaining to the purchase of loot boxes in Fortnite and Rocket League, and will be providing in-game currency to affected parties.
As detailed on the accompanying settlement website, the lawsuit alleged Epic had 'violated state consumer protection laws, prevented minors from exercising their contractual disaffirmation rights, and negligently misrepresented the value of its in-game items in connection with its Fortnite and Rocket League video games.'
Epic, for its part, 'denies each and every allegation of wrongdoing, liability, and damages asserted in the Action, and Epic Games denies that the claims in the Action would be appropriate for class treatment if the litigation were to proceed through trial.'
Nevertheless, Epic and plaintiffs have now reached a settlement, pending approval from the courts, to 'avoid the expenses and uncertainties associated with litigation'.
The statement adds, 'This Settlement resolves all claims asserted in the case against Epic Games and its affiliated entities [and] is not an admission of wrongdoing by Epic Games and does not imply that there has been, or would be, any finding that Epic Games violated any law.
As part of the settlement, Epic will automatically add 1000 V-Bucks to each Fortnite: Save the World account that was used to acquire a random-item Loot Llama loot box after 1st July 1, 2015, and 1000 Credits to each Rocket League account used to acquire a random-item Crate loot box. Loot Llamas and Crates were both removed from their respective games in 2019.
Epic says automatic in-game currency compensation will be applied to all affected Fortnite and Rocket League accounts globally - despite the lawsuit's US focus - within the next few days.
Additionally, the settlement provides up to $26.5m USD in cash and other benefits for US-based Fortnite and Rocket League players who believe their real-money in-game purchases give rise to a 'claim of consumer fraud, breach of contract, or other claim for damages', or who wish to obtain a partial refund 'for a purchase you made as a minor with your own money and without parental permission.' Successful claimants can receive up to $50 USD, 13500 V-Bucks, or 13000 Rocket League Credits, and full details on submitting a claim are on the website.
Fortnite maker Epic Games on Wednesday lodged a complaint against Apple with EU antitrust authorities, deepening its bitter feud with the iPhone-maker over its app store.
Apple and Epic have been locked in a fierce battle over whether Apple's tight control of the App Store, and its 30-percent cut of revenue, is abusive.
The dispute took a dramatic turn in August when Apple expelled Fortnite, one of the world's most popular games, from its app store after Epic released an update that dodged revenue-sharing with the iPhone maker.
Apple does not allow users of its popular devices to download apps from anywhere but the App Store, and developers have to use Apple's payment system which takes its cut.
'We will not stand idly by and allow Apple to use its platform dominance to control what should be a level digital playing field,' Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said in a statement.
Launch Fortnite Epic Games
The company said the lawsuit 'complements' other legal proceedings it has launched in the United States, Australia and Britain.
The global war over the App Store has widened to Facebook, where CEO Mark Zuckerberg has accused Apple of imposing rules for outside developers that it does not apply to its own services.
This echoes the accusations of Spotify, which also believes Apple has given unfair advantage to its Apple Music service over other streaming services.
Apple hits back
Apple firmly rejected Epic's arguments and accused the company of punishing game users when it tried to circumvent the rules of the App Store.
'Their reckless behaviour made pawns of customers, and we look forward to making this clear to the European Commission,' an Apple spokesperson said in statement.
Epic 'has been one of the most successful developers on the App Store, growing into a multibillion dollar business that reaches millions of iOS customers around the world, including in the EU.'
The gripes by Epic, Spotify and others pushed the EU's powerful competition authority to open a series of cases against Apple in June, involving both its App Store and its Apple Pay payment service.
Fortnite Games
Apple has angrily called the complaints by Spotify and others as 'baseless', describing them as sour grapes by companies that do not want to play by the same rules as everyone else accepting its terms.
Apple -- along with Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft -- is also targeted in Europe by new draft legislation, the Digital Markets Act, which aims to limit its digital omnipotence.
Fortnite Official Website
But the plan, unveiled in December, is only at the beginning of a legislative process that could last years.
