My Fortnite Locker: A Junk Drawer in the Video Game Realm

My Fortnite locker, the interface housing all my cosmetic items, has transformed into a chaotic space. Delving into my account reveals a backpack version of Ninken from Naruto standing beside a rainbow gun wrap from the 2021 Pride collection. The game's sub-menus encompass emotes, wraps, cars, instruments, and Lego kits. It's an overwhelming abundance, and I worry that recent changes in the Fortnite subscription service by Epic Games overlook a fundamental truth: Sometimes, less truly is more.

Epic Games' Fortnite Crew Changes

On Wednesday, Epic Games announced a significant alteration to Fortnite Crew, its monthly subscription service. Starting from December 1st, subscribers will receive content from the Music Pass and Lego Pass without any extra cost. This means that those subscribed will be able to progress and redeem cosmetics on other games on the platform, such as battle passes from Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite. 1: On the surface, these changes seem highly beneficial for consumers. It essentially provides more items for free. If one subscribes and only plays the Battle Royale mode, they will still end up with a plethora of cosmetics from other games within Fortnite. Additionally, Epic Games has modified how the battle pass functions, enabling leveling up one pass to unlock items on another. This eliminates the need to grind each game individually if one is interested in earning cosmetics from different battle passes. 2: It's a great offer that gives players more value for their subscription. However, the announcement also 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 Hike

1: The price hike doesn't have a substantial impact on the amount paid in dollars. One can purchase 1,000 V-bucks for $8.99 from the in-game shop. Moreover, 50 V-bucks isn't an overly large amount of currency and isn't even sufficient to buy a low-tier emote. But for regular players, this amount can accumulate, and even a small 50 V-bucks can determine whether they can purchase a particular skin on a given day. (This matters because who knows when one's favorite cosmetic will reappear in the Fortnite shop as it rotates items in and out!) 2: For me, such gradual price hikes only enhance the value of the subscription service and make it more justifiable for players to invest in the full premium Fortnite subscription. It's similar to bundling cable or streaming services in the modern video game world. You might not want everything offered, but as individual parts become increasingly expensive, it eventually makes financial sense.

User Engagement vs. Company Decisions

1: Changes like these are focused on how Epic Games wants its users to interact with the platform rather than the actual behavior of the majority of its players. Currently, Lego Fortnite has 24,600 active users, and Fortnite Festival has 8,500 players. In contrast, the unranked version of the Battle Royale mode has over 542,000 players, and Zero Build has 344,800 players. Instead of enhancing the battle pass experience around these games, Epic Games has decided to raise the price and fill the lockers of Fortnite Crew subscribers with unnecessary items. 2: As a Battle Royale player, I don't desire more clutter. I yearn for a transparent pricing system for cosmetic items. I want a consistent battle pass price. I envision a locker and emote wheel that I can actually organize. I don't want to spend excessive time grinding the battle pass level and would appreciate the ability to purchase old skins. So, although the Fortnite Crew change may seem acceptable on the surface, it feels like the company is shoving a lot of junk in my face.