Fortnite is increasing VBUCKS price due to inflation
Epic said that the “adjustments are based on economic factors such as inflation and currency fluctuations”, referring back to similar price increases made in the UK, Canada and Mexico in July.
However, the timing of the announcement is hard to detach from yesterday’s starling news that Epic will lay off more than 800 people – around 16% of its workforce – in an effort to achieve “financial sustainability”. Among the reasons given for the brutal cuts were Epic’s costly investment in the metaverse and Fortnite’s lower than anticipated revenue due to growth being driven by “lower margin” creator content.
Revealed in a Fortnite blog post, the price increase of around 12% to 15% per bundle comes as a result of “economic factors such as inflation and currency fluctuations” and follows similar price increases seen in the UK, Canada, and Mexico.
Countries seeing a price increase now include the U.S., Czech Republic, Denmark, Eurozone countries, Hungary, Japan, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, and all countries where the U.S. dollar is the storefront currency.
Epic recently reached a $520 million settlement with the Fair Trade Commission over “deceptive practices” regarding in-app purchases. Anyone who made a Fortnite purchase in error, or whose kids made purchases without their permission, can apply to claim a part of the settlement refund.
The U.S. will see the following price increases: 1,000 V-Bucks rises from $7.99 to $8.99, 2,800 V-Bucks rises from $19.99 to $22.99, 5,000 V-Bucks rises from $31.99 to $36.99, and 13,5000 V-Bucks rises from $79.99 to $89.99.
Epic Games made clear Fortnite Crew subscription pricing is not impacted by the current changes but certain bundles will be adjusted when they return to storefronts. These include the Final Reckoning Pack, Skull Squad Pack, Graveyard Drift Quest Pack, Saint Academy Quest Pack, and Transformers Pack.
Packs affected from the changeover date will include the Extinction Code pack and Untask’d Courier, with the price of other packs – including the Final Reckoning Pack, Skull Squad Pack, Graveyard Drift Quest Pack, Saint Academy Quest Pack and Transformers Pack – all due to rise in line with the changes once they rotate back into the store.
