Epic Games Increasing Fortnite V-Bucks Price in US and Europe

Epic Games has announced an upcoming price increase for V-Bucks, the in-game currency of Fortnite, across the United States, Europe, and other regions starting on October 27th. Epic cited economic factors like inflation for the change, which follows recent layoffs partially stemming from lower than expected revenue from the popular battle royale game.

The new pricing will impact countries where V-Bucks are currently priced in US dollars, as well as specific countries like the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, and more.

Direct Purchase Bundles Affected, Not Subscriptions

Only direct V-Bucks purchases will be affected, such as bundles sold in the item shop. The cost of Fortnite Crew, the subscription service granting monthly V-Bucks, will remain the same.

After the change takes effect, 1,000 V-Bucks will cost $8.99 instead of $7.99. The 5,000 bundle will increase from $31.99 to $36.99, and the 13,500 bundle will rise from $79.99 to $89.99.

Upcoming packs like Extinction Code will see pricing rise accordingly. Existing packs will increase once they rotate back into the item shop.

Epic stated the adjustments reflect factors like inflation and currency fluctuations, similar to regional increases made in July. In that update, the UK, Mexico and Canada were the affected countries, so they are immune from the price change this time round. However, the timing coincides closely with massive layoffs at Epic Games impacting over 800 employees.

The stated goal of the layoffs was achieving financial stability due to under performance in areas like Fortnite revenue. Lower than predicted income was partially blamed on creator content driving growth rather than in-game spending.

Epic Games New Financial Strategy

The price hike on direct V-Bucks purchases seems aimed at extracting more revenue from Fortnite’s core audience to correct the financial issues. While understandable from a business perspective, some fans may see the change as an opportunistic response to recent monetary woes rather than an unavoidable decision.

With the Chapter 4 Season 4 Heist story well and truly underway, this news comes at a time when the title has been pulling back in some players with the latest insanely enjoyable season.

The last season went down really badly, with a lack of mobility items in the game and the jungle biome WILDS theme just not convincing players.

However, Fortnite remains a free-to-play game, and non-cosmetic items can still be earned through gameplay alone. This is evident with the Ahsoka Tano Star Wars skin that’s out at the moment as of this writing that can be earned via the battle pass. The price adjustments will not affect competitive balance. For dedicated players invested in the item shop, the increases may just be an acceptable cost of ongoing enjoyment.

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As with any major change, Epic risks community backlash over the perception it is squeezing more money from its loyal audience. But periodic pricing evaluations are routine in gaming, and as long as the core experience remains intact, the impact will likely be manageable in the long term.

Fortnite is currently available on Windows PC, Mobile Devices, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.