Fortnite players are buzzing-and this time not in a nice way-about the leaked cosmetic bundles set to release on June 14. While the exorbitantly priced skins-BUB, Cleveland, and Hank-have divided the community between hype and an aggravating feeling, leaks from @SpushFNBR show bundles going anywhere between 2.9k and 3.5k V-bucks, beyond whose price are pickaxes, emotes, and backblings.
Let me crunch some numbers here. Bundle for BOB is priced at 3.2k V-Bucks and 2.9k for Cleveland, while Hank is so expensive at 3.5k V-Bucks. Besides, there are also three skins at a cost of 1.5k whereas the pickaxes stand at 800 V-Bucks each; emotes range between 400 and 500, while backblings are somewhere between 200 and 400.
Now, here is where the mess begins. Players have started calling Epic Games out for sheer greed. One player exclaimed, “Greedy fucking company Holy shit,” said @081chaz. Seeing the standards and apathy towards exorbitant prices, other users couldn’t stop themselves from expressing yet more disbelief; “@Mrninjaslay3r”: “What the fuck are these prices hello????”
But there are other people who think the prices are justifiable. @tomcastro_97 thinks a premium price for the collab skin is worth it: “It’s not a regular skin, it’s a collab skin. It is a reasonable price.” In contrast, @NarutoFortnitee essentially wonders, “i just wanna know who asked for this.”
What is another sour issue: the lack of discounts on bundles. @keyes53ljh gave, “No discounts on bundles? wtf….” This opened the gates for numerous back-and-forths debating whether Epic is purposely trying to jack prices up. This eventually led to statements by @joeynshadow about how backblings, which actually once were free ad-ons, now require extra payments-which just pissed off the players who have been around for quite a while.
In extension to this is value debate. @jblanc4rd, @redacted224 comes at it this way in response to the “reasonable price” line: “1500 w/o backbling or pickaxe is overpriced, not even edit styles.” On the flip side, @redacted224 just summed up all the frustrations: “It’s the same fucking amount as getting everything separately.”
Amidst this madness, some fans are just amped for the drop. @HotChicken26537 truly expressed excitement, saying, “Oh my Good Nice,” just to make sure that some guys will pay for digital drip no matter what.
So where does that leave us? Epic’s pricing model remains a split issue amongst the Fortnite community. It’s seen by some as a fair exchange for premium content whereas others feel nickel-and-dimed. Whatever the case, one thing’s stark: the moment the skins are there in the shop, wallets are taking a serious hit.
In my opinion? I think following the wisdom of @tomcastro_97 saying, “No one’s holding you at gunpoint to buy cosmetics you’ll probably use once and forget.” Smarts, I think. But let’s all be honest here-has this ever stopped the players?
June 14 will sure be one crazy day in the Fortnite item shop, regardless of whether people continue picking up BOB or doing their own thing. That said, keep an eye on how much you’re spending on those V-Bucks.
Whew, back to where I left the story. Fortnite skins. Dramas, and more dramas.
