Hate: Inflation
Inflation hit Fortnite very onerous prior to now yr, due to a multi-pronged method from Epic to extend the value of every thing. It started in late 2023 with the elevated value of V-Bucks, and continued into the brand new yr with two main adjustments in Epic’s merchandise store philosophy: Apart from some Icon skins (skins of actual celebrities like Shaq) and ultra-customizable skins just like the Skratch Firm set, Fortnite stopped launched new collaboration skins which have a number of type choices.
In Chapter 5 Season 4, for instance, Epic launched 21 new non-Icon collaboration skins. Solely three of them had any type choices in any respect, and people three solely had toggleable features–Iron Spider’s helmet, Black Cat’s masks, and Spider-Girl’s webbing. Today, Epic defaults to promoting further kinds individually, as we have simply seen with the Platinum Competition skins, that are minor recolors of present skins being offered for 1,800 V-Bucks every. Previously, kinds like that may have been added to the prevailing skins as a value-add to encourage new purchases, however these days are over.
And on high of that, Epic developed a troubling behavior of bundling collaboration skins with equipment for the next value and never permitting you to purchase them on their very own. As soon as a uncommon observe, Epic pulled this transfer at the very least 30 occasions in 2024, totally on collab skins. There have been solely 5 whole examples of Epic making an attempt this tactic in 2023, and 4 of them had been the TMNT skins the corporate launched on the very finish of the yr.
And, lastly, on high of all that, bundle costs have gone by the tough. These used to max out at 2800 V-Bucks, presumably as a result of you should purchase that precise quantity. However all the massive collaboration bundles in 2024 went previous that, with 3400-3800 apparently turning into Epic’s most popular value vary for large bundles. Luckily for everybody, Epic appears to be retreating from this new normal slightly bit with a lot of the new bundles in December.