My fortnite Locker, the name of the user interface that contains all my cosmetic items, has become the video game equivalent of a junk drawer. Search my account and you'll find a backpack version of Ninken from Naruto lined up next to a rainbow gun wrap I got from the Pride 2021 collection. The game contains submenus for emotes, wraps, cars, instruments, and Lego kits. It's too much and, to be honest, I'm worried that the recent changes in fortnite Epic Games' subscription service ignores a simple truth: sometimes, less is more.
On Wednesday, Epic Games announced a big change to Fortnite Crew, its monthly subscription service that grants players the Battle Royale Battle Pass, V-bucks, and other perks. Starting December 1, Fortnite Crew subscribers will get Music Pass and Lego Pass content at no additional cost. So, once the change goes into effect, players who sign up will be able to progress and redeem cosmetics in other games on the platform, such as Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite battle passes.
At first glance, this seems extremely consumer-friendly, and in many ways it is. It's basically about offering people more items for free. If I subscribe and only want to play the Battle Royale mode, I'll still end up with a lot of other cosmetics from other games. fortnite. On top of that, Epic Games has also changed the way the battle pass works, so leveling up in one pass will unlock items in another. This way, you don't need to work on each game individually if you're interested in earning cosmetics from other battle passes.
It sounds great, but the announcement came with another notice: the standard price of the Battle Royale battle pass (outside of the Crew subscription) will increase from 950 to 1,000 V-bucks.
The price increase does not significantly change how much you pay in dollars. You can purchase 1,000 V-bucks for $8.99 in the in-game store. Plus, 50 V-bucks isn't exactly an exorbitant amount of currency and isn't even enough to buy a low-level emote. However, if you're a regular player, that amount can add up, and even a measly 50 V-bucks could make or break whether or not you can purchase a certain skin in the store on a given day. (Which matters, because who knows when your favorite cosmetic will be back on the market.) fortnite buy, as it rotates items in and out!)
To me, incremental price increases like this only serve to improve the value of the subscription service and allow players to justify paying the full premium. fortnite subscription. It's almost like the modern video game equivalent of bundling cable or streaming services: You might not want to have everything there, but because all the individual parts are getting so expensive, it eventually makes financial sense.
What's more, changes like this are geared toward how Epic Games wants its users to interact with its platform, rather than the actual way most of its players do. At the time of publication, Lego Fornite has 24,600 active users and Fortnite Festival has 8,500 players. In comparison, the unranked version of the Battle Royale mode has over 542,000 players and Zero Build has 344,800 players. Instead of improving the battle pass experience around these games, Epic Games decided to increase the price and put a bunch of unnecessary items in the lockers of its Fortnite Crew subscribers.
As a Battle Royale player, I don't want any more garbage. I want a transparent pricing system when it comes to cosmetic items. I want a constant battle pass price. I want a locker and an emoticon wheel that I can actually organize. I don't want to put in the effort of leveling up the battle pass and would like to be able to buy old skins. So while the Fortnite Crew change may seem good on the surface, it sure seems like the company is throwing a bunch of crap in my face.