Fortnite players have expressed outrage after being informed that the prices of the game's currency, known as V-Bucks, will go up. Many parents of children who play the worldwide popular online video game will have received an email about the change overnight, around 2am.
The move comes as Fortnite's publisher, Epic Games, has decided to bump costs up in line with inflation, stating that the main reason is "based on economic factors like inflation and currency fluctuations". Other titles by Epic Games are also set to be affected by the price hike, including free-to-play battle royale Fall Guys.
Epic Games isn't the only publisher rising its prices due to 'inflation' amid the cost of living crisis. PlayStation also increased the price of its PS5 console last August, with Xbox following suit by bumping up the amount gamers pay for its Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass this month.
Fortnite has kept the price of its in-game currency the same since its last hike back in 2021. However, gamers across the UK, and Canada and Mexico, are about to have to fork out more. For now, prices will stay the same, with the increase set to be put in place from July 17.
Many people have taken to social media in wake of the news to vent their frustrations. On Twitter, SUMBoiii_ fumed: "Get an email from epic games to say the Fortnite currency is changing in line with inflation, f****** V bucks is going up due to inflation."
MrGroundsausage raged: "No one is paying $119.99 for v bucks and there's tax on top of it which is 138.98. Not Very Epic of you Fortnite." SHAUN19012 stated: "Putting v bucks prices up for 1000 instead of it being £6.49 now it be £6.99 I’m not rich. If it goes higher in future again I will stop buying altogether. As fortnite are rich we are not."
Gffcontwitch added: "Innnn the news, #epicgames are raising the price of v bucks, some parents ponder, where is the extra money going to, is it to fix bugs, or wage rises? #Fortnite." Maillway admitted: "As a Canadian, I am outraged!!!! (I don't spend money in Fortnite)."
Epic Games announced the move on the Fortnite Website, and has released the revised prices for each of the available packs of V-Bucks available in the Fortnite store:
- 1,000 Fortnite V-Bucks: was £6.49 now £6.99
- 2,800 Fortnite V-Bucks: was £15.99 now £17.49
- 5,000 Fortnite V-Bucks: was £25.99 now £27.99
- 13,500 Fortnite V-Bucks: was £63.99 now £69.99
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Epic also announced that the price of Fortnite Crew will remain the same, so if you were looking to cancel Fortnite Crew because of a possible increase, you don't need to worry. Epic Games' other premiere battle royale title Fall Guys has also been hit with a bump in pricing, as announced on the Fall Guys website.
The price changes for Fall Guys are as follows:
- 1,000 Show-Bucks: was £6.49 now £6.99
- 2,800 Show-Bucks: was £15.99 now £17.49
- 5,000 Show-Bucks: was £25.99 now £27.99
- 13,500 Show-Bucks: was £63.99 now £69.99
