Epic will pay off class-action loot-box settlement with in-game currency

Epic is set to settle a class-action lawsuit over its use of randomized loot boxes in Fortnite‘s “Save the World” mode by paying affected players with in-game currency. Rocket League players who previously purchased loot boxes in that game will also receive an in-game payment.

While Epic never offered loot boxes in Fortnite‘s mega-popular battle royale mode, it let “Save the World” players purchase “loot llamas” full of random items until early 2019 (amid international outcry about the randomized loot-box business and its similarity to gambling). Shortly after ending the practice, Epic was faced with a class-action lawsuit alleging, among other things, that it had “psychologically manipulate[d] its young players into thinking they will ‘get lucky.'”

Under a proposed settlement for that suit, which Epic says has achieved preliminary approval, all players who purchased a loot llama at any time will be rewarded with 1,000 V-Bucks (worth roughly $8). Even though it’s settling a US lawsuit, Epic says this same deal will apply to all Fortnite players globally.