Fortnite players and their parents could start receiving close to a million refund payments this week, more than two years after the Federal Trade Commission fined Cary video game maker Epic Games a record sum for deploying deceptive payment tactics in its popular game.

The payouts total over $126 million and arrive six months after the FTC issued $72 million in initial refunds to Fortnite consumers.

The federal agency also said Wednesday it will reopen its claims portal for those affected by the Fortnite payment system. In December 2022, Epic agreed to pay $245 million to settle an FTC charge over what the government described as “Fortnite’s counterintuitive, inconsistent and confusing button configuration.”

Epic Games was accused of using “dark patterns to trick players into making unwanted purchases and let children rack up unauthorized charges without any parental involvement.”

It was the agency’s biggest refund for a gaming case and its most substantial administrative order in history. The average refund so far has been around $124 across 1.6 million payments. As of Wednesday, the FTC database showed 21,247 North Carolina consumers had received around $2.5 million from the case.

The government said it will accept new online claims through July 9.

In 2022, Epic also agreed to pay $275 million to the FTC for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Then-FTC Chair Lina Khan accused Epic of maintaining “privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that tricked Fortnite users, including teenagers and children.”

Following the settlement, Epic Games did not acknowledge any wrongdoing but said the company “accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.”

“No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here,” the company wrote in a 2022 statement.

Released in 2017, Fortnite has been the most successful title for Epic Games and one of top-performing video games ever. It is a bloodless first-person shooter and social experience set in a vibrant island world. Its most famous Battle Royale mode features 100 players fighting against each another until one winner is left.

Fortnite still attracts tens of millions of active players each month.

Who is eligible to file for a refund?

The Federal Trade Commission says those who meet any of these criteria could be eligible for a refund from the Fortnite settlement:

—If you were charged in-game currency for items you didn’t want between January 2017 and September 2022.

—Your child made charges to your credit card without your knowledge between January 2017 and November 2018.

—Your account was locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after you complained to your credit card company about wrongful charges.

—Customers must be at least 18 to complete a claim form. Parents or guardians can complete the form for those under the required age.

How to apply for a refund from Epic Games

The FTC says customers should apply online at: www.fortniterefund.com/File-a-Claim.

Customers will need a claim number or Epic Account ID to apply. The FTC warns customers against scams, saying it will never ask for money in exchange for a refund.

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