My Fortnite locker, the identify of the UI interface that incorporates all of my beauty gadgets, has change into the online game equal of a junk drawer. Rummage by my account, and also you’ll discover a backpack model of Ninken from Naruto lined up subsequent to a rainbow gun wrap I acquired from the 2021 Satisfaction assortment. The sport incorporates sub-menus for emotes, wraps, automobiles, devices, and Lego kits. It’s all an excessive amount of, and to be frank, I’m nervous that current adjustments within the Fortnite subscription service from Epic Video games ignore a easy fact: Typically, much less is extra.
On Wednesday, Epic Video games introduced an enormous change to Fortnite Crew, its month-to-month subscription service that awards gamers with the Battle Royale battle move, V-bucks, and different perks. Beginning on Dec. 1, Fortnite Crew subscribers will get content material from the Music Go and Lego Go at no extra price. So as soon as the change goes dwell, gamers who subscribe to will probably be capable of progress and redeem cosmetics on the opposite video games on the platform, like battle passes from Fortnite Pageant and Lego Fortnite.
On the floor, this appears to be like extraordinarily pro-consumer — and in some ways, it’s. It’s primarily giving folks extra gadgets at no cost. If I subscribe and I solely need to play the Battle Royale mode, I’ll nonetheless find yourself with an entire lot of different cosmetics from different video games on Fortnite. Along with that, Epic Video games has additionally modified how the battle move works, so leveling up one move will unlock the gadgets on one other. This manner, you don’t have to grind every sport individually in case you’re all in favour of incomes cosmetics from different battle passes.
It sounds nice, however the announcement got here with one other discover: The usual worth of the Battle Royale battle move (outdoors of the Crew subscription) can be raised in worth from 950 to 1,000 V-bucks.
The value hike doesn’t considerably change how a lot you pay in {dollars}. You should purchase 1,000 V-bucks for $8.99 from the in-game store. Moreover, 50 V-bucks isn’t precisely an exorbitant quantity of foreign money, and it isn’t even sufficient to purchase a low-tier emote. Nonetheless, in case you’re a daily participant, that quantity can add up, and even a paltry 50 V-bucks may make or break whether or not or not you’ll be able to buy a sure pores and skin within the retailer on any given day. (Which issues, as a result of who is aware of when your favourite beauty will return to the Fortnite store, because it rotates gadgets out and in!)
For me, gradual worth hikes like this solely serve to reinforce the worth of the subscription service and permit gamers to justify springing for the full-on premium Fortnite subscription. It’s nearly like the trendy online game equal of bundling cable or streaming providers — you may not need the whole lot in there, however as a result of all the person components are getting so costly, it will definitely makes monetary sense.
What’s extra is that adjustments like this are catered towards how Epic Video games needs its customers to interact with its platform, relatively than the precise method nearly all of its gamers do. At time of publication, Lego Fornite has 24,600 lively customers, and Fortnite Pageant has 8,500 gamers. As compared, the unranked model of the Battle Royale mode has greater than 542,000 gamers, and Zero Construct has 344,800 gamers. As an alternative of bettering the battle move expertise round these video games, Epic Video games has determined to boost the worth and shove a bunch of unneeded gadgets into the lockers of its Fortnite Crew subscribers.
As a Battle Royale participant, I don’t need extra junk. I desire a clear pricing system with regards to beauty gadgets. I desire a constant battle move worth. I desire a locker and emote wheel that I can really manage. I don’t need to grind the battle move leveling, and I’d like the flexibility to purchase previous skins. So whereas the Fortnite Crew change might sound all proper on the floor, it positive does really feel like the corporate is throwing an entire lot of junk in my face.