As part of a class action settlement, Epic Games will credit 1,000 V-bucks to anyone who previously purchased a randomized loot box (i.e. Loot Llama) in "Fortnite," The Verge reported.

Epic said in a blog post that while the settlement applies to U.S. players, the company will extend the offer to any player worldwide; Epic said players will receive free V-bucks "within a few days."

Fortnite's immensely popular Battle Royale mode never included randomized loot boxes, but the original "Save the World" mode did until 2019. Purchasing these x-ray llamas does not qualify players for the 1,000 V-buck offer. Only players who purchased one or more Loot Llamas prior to this change will receive credit.

The class action lawsuit alleged that these loot boxes violated state law and "misrepresented the value of in-game items." By agreeing to this settlement, which has not yet received final approval from the court but is expected to do so, Epic is not agreeing to the lawsuit's claims or admitting wrongdoing. Rather, according to a website set up by the settlement coordinator, the parties "have determined that it is best to settle this lawsuit to avoid the costs and uncertainty associated with litigation."

Epic also said that it hated the loot box anyway and was glad it had removed it from Fortnite before this lawsuit. The company also removed the paid, randomized loot boxes from Rocket League, a game it purchased (along with developer Psyonix) in 2019.

"We stopped offering randomized item loot boxes like Lutrama in 'Fortnite' and Crate in 'Rocket League' because we noticed that some players were repeatedly disappointed when they did not receive the random items they expected," Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said in a statement.Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said in a statement that "players should know upfront what they are paying for when they make in-game purchases."

As part of the settlement, Epic will also offer Rocket League players 1,000 in-game credits if they have ever purchased loot crate keys or event crates in the game.

The proposed settlement also provides up to $26.4 million in cash. The bulk of the money is expected to be used for legal fees, but will also be used to address claims by players who say they were harmed as a result of loot box purchases.

Fortnite players over the age of 18 can submit a claim and, if approved, will receive up to $50 or 13,500 V-bucks. If they feel obligated to receive more, they can file a claim at epiclootboxsettlement.com and potentially receive a larger payout.

For players under the age of 18, parents may file a claim for unauthorized purchases made by their child and receive the same potential settlement, provided that the child's Epic Games account is closed.

This settlement puts yet another stake in the heart of randomized loot boxes in video games. This practice has attracted much criticism, and in 2017-2018, it even reached the governments of various countries. As it stands, Blizzard's Overwatch is one of the few major games to continue this practice."