Skip to main content

Epic Games cuts Fortnite V-Bucks prices, calls out Apple and Google

Epic Games has reduced prices on Fortnite V-Bucks — and has taken shots at both Apple and Google in the process.

Epic has permanently slashed its V-Bucks price by 20%, the company announced on Thursday. Those who buy 1,000 V-Bucks, for instance, can now acquire them for $8, down from the previous $10 purchase price.

The discount applies to all V-Bucks purchases directly from Epic across every platform Fortnite is available on, including the Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch. The 20% discount is also available on real money transactions.

“This isn’t a sale, these are new discount prices available anytime,” Epic said in a statement on Thursday announcing what it’s calling the Mega Drop. “We’re excited to pass along these savings to you and will continue to look for additional ways to bring value to all Fortnite players.”

On mobile, players will have the option of buying V-Bucks through Apple’s App Store or Google Play, in addition to Epic’s new “direct payment” option. When players buy V-Bucks, Epic will list both the mobile marketplace price and its direct payment price.

Buying on Apple’s App Store or Google Play will continue to cost $10 for 1,000 V-Bucks. Those who buy V-Bucks directly from Epic will get them for $8.

The studio blamed the difference on the 30% charge Apple and Google take from all digital transactions made through their marketplaces. When players buy from those stores, Epic collects $7 on a $10 purchase. Epic called the 30% fee “exorbitant” — a refrain Apple and Google have heard from other developers since their stores launched.

Apple and Google, however, argue the fees are reasonable and help them manage their storefronts. They’re also quick to note that developers have generated billions of dollars from their stores, even with the 30% charge.

To make things right with players who recently purchased V-Bucks or made real money transactions in Fortnite, Epic said that it will give anyone who bought digital currency in the last 30 days a 20% credit. The credit will be automatically applied to their accounts by August 17 and be equal to 20% of their previous purchase amount.

To sweeten the pot a bit more, Epic is also giving every active Fortnite player the Shooting Starstaff Pickaxe for free.

Editors' Recommendations

Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger is a freelance technology, video game, and entertainment journalist. He has been writing about the world of…
How many skins are in Fortnite?
Fortnite characters by a car.

With each new Fortnite season comes a slew of new cosmetics to earn through the Battle Pass or to purchase in the item shop. With the game being out for nearly six years, the number of skins in the game has grown to absurd levels. No longer will you run into a match of solo players wearing similar skins. Between regular releases of skins and special event skins involving IPs like Star Wars, Street Fighter, Marvel, and more, every player has a very unique locker full of cosmetics to bust out in a given match.

These days, it's almost more likely you'll run into a skin you've never seen before than a player using the same one as you!

Read more
Fortnite is coming back to iOS, but Epic Games still isn’t happy about it
Solid Snake aiming a pistol out of a box in Fortnite.

Fortnite is set to come back to iOS in Europe sometime in 2024. This will mark the first time a natively running version of Fortnite will be available on iOS since Apple removed the game from the App Store in 2020.

Apple did so at the time because Epic tried to use its own third-party payment system, kicking off a series of legal battles in an attempt to get Apple to open up its platform more. Although those legal battles have yielded mixed results for Epic, a newly passed Digital Markets Act in the European Union is forcing Apple to do things like "allow third parties to inter-operate with the gatekeeper’s own services in certain specific situations" and "allow their business users to promote their offer and conclude contracts with their customers outside the gatekeeper’s platform."

Read more
Apple eases App Store restrictions to allow game-streaming apps
App Store on-screen illustration

Apple is easing up on its App Store guidelines so that it's now possible to "provide access to mini apps and games" within other apps.

While that may sound a bit confusing, it essentially means that a company like Microsoft can now release an iOS Xbox Game Pass app that supports Xbox Cloud Gaming and lets players stream multiple games right from that app. To use Xbox Cloud Gaming on an Apple device right now, you'd need to use the web browser version of the technology, which isn't as convenient or stable as streaming from Xbox consoles or official PC and Android apps.

Read more