And here we go again. The PlayStation will be denied entry to some major Fortnite event and players are furious about it. Epic announced that permitted on every major platform, another way to purchase V-Bucks shall be made available, but not on PlayStation. Absolute pandemonium ensued.
Suddenly, a tweet surfaced, saying that PlayStation would NOT be getting this new method for V-Bucks purchase, whereas all the other major platforms would. Fortnite did say that they worked hard to get it everywhere, but for now, it’s really not going down for PS4 and PS5 users. Honestly, it feels like cross-play drama, but in different pants.
So what is the feature? What we are getting allows users to pay for just the amount of V-bucks they require for an item rather than having to pay for bundles that weigh down on them for some time. Thus, if an item is 800 V-bucks, you just buy 800 V-bucks, instead of buying a 1,000 V-buck pack and then considering those 200 as spare change. Small changes, yet huge for all the frequent buyers.
Now PlayStation players won’t be able to enjoy this particular convenience, at least from now, and the community reaction from Fortnite has been… well, a little bit of rage, joking, and planning moving away from the platform.
User @GrantEasto17243 said, “So I guess I’m buying my Fortnite skins on my switch 2 then.” Which, yeah, that’s one way to look at it. Another user, @GokuScrubb2099, said without any sarcasm: “Thank goodness I swapped to Xbox.” And @AdnanOrire added, “Yeah I’m switching back to Xbox.” So yeah, some players are actually thinking about switching platforms because of this.
Following that wave of confusion, @pinksview asked, “how will ps5 players buy cosmetics,” and some replied, “through cellphone,” and other answers were, “buy it from the epic games store, it will be cheaper there.” So there are some workarounds, but it is really an annoying goose chase.
Some would say direct buy from Epic Games is better anyways. Another user, @ElderGodKi, said, “Buying vbucks on the web store is actually more efficient than buying from the PS store now. Because of the crazy cash back for buying shit from Epic, and because PlayStation cancelled their PS stars program.” So maybe this might be a blessing in disguise? But let’s get back to the principle.
As always, a few of the usual suspects started branding Sony as an anti-consumer company. @MandeloreanThe wrote: “Oh my god! PlayStation being anti-consumer! Colour me surprised.” While @NPage96 added: “Sony is so greedy asf man.” That sentiment has been echoed many times over the years, especially in reference to how Sony tackles cross-platform stuff and their share of microtransactions.
But not everyone is so gloomy; some players contend that it’s not actually a problem. @Vesper76192 said: “Honestly who is going to buy the exact amount of vbucks they need, personally, I can name a lot of people I know in my everyday life who always buy like the $30 worth of vbucks so they have more for another cosmetic they want. It feels like they are making stupid updates for no reason.” So there’s a general sentiment that maybe this isn’t really going to affect a lot of people.
Just as there are those that think it won’t matter much, there are also those who react with humor. @Jax_11_999 posted a GIF of someone looking stunned accompanied by “PlayStation users right now” — mood. Next was @Gl1tch_Leaks hitting everyone with nostalgia: “I remember the Hidden 200 v-bucks in the PSN store 1 year until they removed it 😭” — oh boy.
It’s interesting to see how, in the bigger picture, this incident continues the lessons of Fortnite’s legacy in platform exclusivity. Remember when PlayStation was the last platform to do cross-play? @Racager_ remembers that very well. “I remember when every platform had cross-play except PlayStation.” So another chapter in the long-running story is being written.
Epic truly has been pushing openness and cross-platform functionality for almost a decade now, and Sony has been reluctant almost halfway through that time. This seems to be another indication of that very same tug-of-war with the selling-of-V-Bucks. Fortnite states that they’re working toward having it available everywhere, so maybe PlayStation will get it sooner or later, but for now, it’s still a waiting game.
In the meantime, that just means PlayStation players will have to get all creative when it comes to V-Bucks purchases. See, you can buy V-Bucks via the Epic Games website or you can buy via mobile, as @discovenus_ says: “I mean everyone should start buying from inside the epicstore it’s better and you get 20% back good deal.” So, there is some silver lining there.
Still, if their desire is to do it straight from the console, it’s a really annoying alternative. That’s another hoop to jump through; that’s another reason to feel like the little guy in the Fortnite ecosystem. I mean, just look at all the money the game makes from these microtransactions, and one would think Sony would want to just clear the way so their players can finally make these payments.
And so the day looks. PlayStation kicked out, everyone else welcomed in, and the community is making the most out of this. Let’s see if it grows into something or gets louder — one thing for sure, this hundredfortnite community never shuts up.
So hey, if you’re running on PlayStation, might wanna look into alternate means of funding. Or you can just let the chaos unfold and grab a couple of memes. Either way, Fortnite is still a fountain of drama and comedy, on and off the field.
