Epic Games has dropped a bombshell which has the Fortnite community all fired up. The very first thing that is going to happen is the company introducing this new feature called In-Island Transactions. This will enable creators to treat their Fortnite Creative maps like a V-Bucks charging station. The response has been nothing but furious.
Despite being nebulous, Epic is already translating the creators’ scheme into V-Bucks for assets, even selling them and just unlocking certain areas for a fee. The mechanism is still under development, but it will have a price range of 50-5,000 V-Bucks with 50 as the smallest increment. Notably, even the intermediaries will not be talking about the charge – a whopping 50% of the transaction amount goes to Epic.
Made transactions cover a wide range. Creators may sell items that never lose their value, for instance, consumption items that are gradually depleted while they play, and regular access-locked areas among others, and even random reward items – but they will have to disclose the percentage probabilities that players might get this or that. Parents can use controls to block paid random items, and in some regions, the whole feature is not permitted at all.
The community is outraged and has been very outspoken. Social media is rife with players moaning around the clock and I must confess? I absolutely get their point.
One player named DiamondPugs expressed his dissent very clearly when he said “That’s too much for me. I can’t support Epic’s money grab like this. I am cancelling my crew subscription and the next battle pass will be the last one I complete.” Wow! That’s definitely a strong negative reaction right there.
Meanwhile, they are not the only ones commenting on this matter. Quite a few people have posted that they would totally avoid Creative maps if the system went live. Liran Playz tweeted “And with that, I will never be playing creative maps ever again.” And KnuckleDude24 added that they were using Creative just for XP and will not be doing it anymore. What? What was I talking about? Oh yeah, the potential mass exodus from Creative that could happen.
There is a lot of talk comparing this situation to Roblox. Mathiasbog99 wrote “Lol fortnite will be like roblox😂😂😂😂” while t1Hephaestus added that it is not so much a compliment as it is a warning “They really just want to be Roblox now. People are about to get scammed so hard.”
The thought of dead maps and scams is creeping in. Tarnishedbeing was very frank “Gotta be retard to spend money on slop UEFN maps that will become broken with updates and abandoned down the line.” But honestly? They are coming around to the point more quickly than anyone else. How many Creative maps are there out there that get abandoned after a few updates break them?
The gambling option has also been a cause for concern with Epic. Creeeper_ was asking, “Didn’t they have to get rid of save the world the world gambling, how is this allowed?” which, giving Epic’s history with loot boxes, is a perfectly valid question. Also, discovenus_ mentioned that gambling laws in the Middle East are so strict that they probably account for some areas being blocked off.
In a surprising turn of events, actually, some players are lucky enough that their areas are restricted. JessyImpala tweeted “Thank god Australia is on the restricted list” while mothman_spirit said, “Glad to b an Aussie, because f paying for things in Fortnite maps☠️” – I guess that’s the mood.
However, the worst-case scenario is not the only possibility. There are still a few creators who see the glass as half full and are eager to work with the new feature. Jakeofranko called it “so insanely huge!!” and there are probably other map makers who are viewing this as a opening to finally profit from their craft.
The question of the minimum price point is still under contention, though. Laytonbob2 argued that “50 v bucks is the minimum price it should be. The minimum is 10 v bucks because I want to make a system that enables players to force events for 10 v bucks. 50 is too steep” – and they have a point. The 50 V-Bucks minimum for very small transactions does seem a little exorbitant.
Naturally, parents have concerns. VictoriaKFrost was curious, “Can you blockade UEFN purchases on an account completely? This is going to be a nightmare for anyone with kids playing Fortnite.” And that is a very pertinent issue, indeed. Children already spend a lot on Fortnite, and, the additional in-game transactions will only make it worse.
What really stands out is the division within the community regarding this issue. Some players are talking about quitting altogether, others will simply avoid Creative, and a tiny PlayStation and Xbox
