Fortnite players who were charged for unwanted purchases in the game where cartoony characters battle on a virtual island are starting to receive what could be $245 million in refunds from Epic Games for what the federal government called manipulative online practices.

Fortnite’s in-game currency, V-Bucks, can be spent on cosmetics, weapons and outfits — known as skins — that enable players to make their avatars look like celebrities and fictional characters. To appear as John Wick, a player must spend about $19. When it is not on sale, a bundle of Spider-Man outfits and paraphernalia costs almost $50.

Epic agreed in December 2022 to a $520 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. Customers could ultimately receive $245 million for what the agency called Epic’s use of “dark patterns” to trick millions of players into unwanted purchases. Another $275 million will settle accusations that the studio violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

A representative for Epic, which released Fortnite in 2017, said the company did not have additional comments beyond a statement it made when the settlement was announced. In that statement, Epic said it now asked players to explicitly approve that they wanted their payment information saved.

In a news release last week, the federal agency said the settlement “also requires the company to get positive consent before charging users and banned it from locking players out of their accounts for disputing unauthorized charges.”

On social media, Fortnite players have shared the size of their refunds, with examples ranging from $20 to $500.