The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than 629,000 refund payments worth $72 million to customers of Fortnite developer Epic Games who were charged for things they never wanted.

The payments are part of a 2022 settlement for $245 million to resolve FTC allegations that design choices in Fortnite induced players, some of them children, to unwittingly make purchases while trying to wake the game up from sleep mode.

This wave of payments covers claims for reimbursement before Oct. 8, the FTC said in a release. The agency is still reviewing claims made after that date, and the window to file is open until January 10. 

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.