The Fortnite maker said it would automatically drop 1,000
V-Bucks into accounts of players who bought Loot Llama pinata-style figures
containing in-game items, without knowing what was inside until they had
already purchased them.
"While some of you enjoyed purchasing random item Loot
Llamas and being surprised by the content unlocked, others were
disappointed," Epic said in a blog post.
"So we decided a better experience for players was to
be upfront and outline the details of in-game purchases."
Mystery "loot boxes" requiring players to take
chances on contents have been controversial, equated by some to gambling, and
have prompted legal woes for video game makers.
"We're dropping 1000 V-Bucks into the accounts of all
players globally who bought a random item Loot Llama in STW before we stopped
offering them," Epic said in a tweet.
"If you purchased this item you should see the V-Bucks
in your account over the next few days."
The settlement came in a class action case representing
people in the United States who has played with a Fortnite or Rocket League
account since July of 2015.
Rocket League players who qualify will get 1,000 credits to
accounts used to acquire random-item "crate" loot boxes, according to
Epic.
"The proposed settlement is not an admission of
wrongdoing by Epic Games, and it denies that it violated the law," the
website maintained.
The settlement also provides $26.5 million to resolve claims
by US players arising from in-game purchases.