Fortnite

The Fortnite logo

*Fortnite* is a free-to-play third-person game with three main offerings which are Fortnite: Save the World, Fortnite Creative, and Fortnite Battle Royale. Fortnite Battle Royale, released in 2017 by Epic Games and the main focus of this project, is a free-to-play battle royale game set in third-person where a large group of players compete to be the last one standing either by themselves or in a team.

## In-Game Currency

Fortnite only has one currency within its game:

* **V-Bucks :** Also known as Vindertech-Bucks. V-Bucks can be purchased using real money or a player can obtain V-Bucks from battle pass rewards by playing the game regularly.
	+ **Uses:** Battle Pass, Shop Bundles, Cosmetics (Outfits, Back Blings, Pickaxes, Gliders, Contrails, Pets, Emotes, Emoticons, Sprays, Toys, Wraps, Music)

### Currency Bundles

#### Purchasing V-Bucks

To purchase V-Bucks, the player can use the menu at the top of the screen to click on the “V-Bucks” section:

There are 4 V-Bucks bundles that can be purchased, with three out of four bundles offering bonus V-Bucks as a better deal for buying a bigger bundle.

 2800 V-Bucks
 5000 V-Bucks
 13500 V-Bucks

### Currency Exchange Rate

The currency exchange rate is an estimate calculated by accounting for all currency bundles available for purchase. You can find a detailed breakdown of this process here.

 2800 V-Bucks
 5000 V-Bucks
 13500 V-Bucks

The currency exchange rate is the average rate of all 4 bundles: 1 CAD to 98.37 V-Bucks

### Payment Methods

Current payment methods include the following:

* Mastercard
* Visa
* Amex
* JCB
* Discover
* PayPal
* Epic Games wallet
* Epic Rewards

### Refund Policy

Fortnite offers no refunds on V-Bucks currency purchases. However, every player is given three refund tickets that they can use to refund items purchased with V-Bucks (the item will be removed and the account will receive V-Bucks back). If a player has less than 3 return tickets, they will regenerate back to 3 tickets at a rate of 1 ticket per 365 days. Some purchases are not returnable, regardless of whether they are purchased with cash or V-Bucks. These are: Level Up Quest Packs, Gifts, Real-money Purchases, Battle Pass, Battle Pass Tiers, Loot Llamas (Save the World), Event and Weekly Items (Save the World), and Fortnite Crew Subscriptions.

## In-Game Items

### Cosmetics

Fortnite Battle Royale has 7 different rarities for the cosmetics it offers, which are common, uncommon, rare, epic, legendary, mythic, and exotic in order of rarity and price. As the rarity increases, skins typically have more detailed designs, and special effects, or may be bundled with other cosmetics to inflate the price.

#### Character Outfits

Character outfits are skins for the playable character and are displayed both in and out of matches. They can be earned from battle passes, limited-time offers, promotions, or purchased from the shop at different rarities with corresponding prices such as 800 V-Bucks for uncommon outfits, 1200 V-Bucks for rare outfits, 1500 V-Bucks for epic outfits, and 2000 V-Bucks for legendary outfits. Some outfits that are part of a series may vary in price and some skins are only available for cash.

#### Back Blings

Back Blings are cosmetic backpacks that can be equipped to your character to display during the match. They are typically available for 400 V-Bucks for a rare back bling, with greater rarities having no structure in price and are usually part of a greater bundle.

#### Pickaxes

Pickaxes are routinely used during matches to gather materials, and skins for it can be earned from battle passes, limited-time offers, promotions, or purchased from the shop at different rarities with corresponding prices such as 500 V-Bucks for uncommon pickaxes, 800 V-Bucks for rare pickaxes, and 1200/1500 V-Bucks for epic pickaxes. Some pickaxes that are part of a series may vary in price.

#### Gliders

Gliders are cosmetic items that are used at the beginning of the game when falling onto the map or when skydiving. They are obtainable through battle passes, challenges, promotions and events. They are also purchasable in different rarities in the item shop with corresponding prices such as 500 V-Bucks for uncommon gliders, 800 V-Bucks for rare gliders, 1200 V-Bucks for epic gliders, and 1500 V-Bucks for legendary gliders. Some gliders also vary in price depending on the series they are part of.

#### Contrails

Contrails are in-game effects that play at the beginning of the game that can be acquired mainly as a battle pass reward and cannot be individually purchased. Only one contrail is available to be purchased in the shop that isn’t part of a bigger bundle and is priced at 400 V-Bucks for a rare rarity.

#### Pets

Pets are in-game companions that can be acquired mainly as a battle pass reward and cannot be individually purchased. Only one pet is available to be purchased in the shop that is not part of a bundle and is priced at 1000 V-Bucks.

#### Emotes

Fortnite emotes are custom animations that can be played during the match. Depending on the level of detail in the animation, it has an assigned rarity with a corresponding price. Emotes can be obtained progress in the battle pass or purchased from the item shop using V-Bucks. Some are obtainable from in-game and real-life promotions.

Uncommon emotes cost between 100 and 200 V-Bucks. Rare emotes cost 500 V-Bucks. Epic emotes cost 800 V-Bucks. Some emotes from specific series can have a ranging price starting from 200 V-Bucks.

#### Wraps

Wraps are cosmetic items that are used to directly modify the appearance of a player’s weapons and vehicles. They can be obtained through the battle pass, events, Fortnite crew memberships and the item shop.

Within the shop, it costs 300 V-Bucks for uncommon wraps and 500 V-Bucks for standard rare wraps. Prices can then range anywhere from 600 V-Bucks to 2000 V-Bucks depending on the rarity, set and series the wrap comes from.

#### Music

Music are cosmetic items that a player can equip to change the lobby background music of the game, as well as the music that plays when a player achieves Victory Royale in a game. Music can be obtained through both free and premium rewards of the battle pass, as rewards from the Fortnite crew membership, from events, as well as some tracks being purchasable in the shop for 200 V-Bucks.

### Item Costs

As of October 2023, the current lowest and highest cost items that are purchasable in Fortnite are the following (not including items that are given for free or have to be purchased as part of a bundle):

 **Most Expensive Item** | Legendary Outfit

## Battle Pass

The Fortnite battle pass can be purchased for 950 V-Bucks which is approximately $9.66 CAD. It includes 100 different base cosmetic rewards and additional rewards that can be claimed after earning the base 100 items. The battle pass consists of a mix of free rewards that can be acquired without purchasing the pass and premium rewards that are exclusive to the purchased version. On the base track with 100 items, every fourth item is a free item that can be bought with “Battle Pass Stars”, a free-to-play currency acquired by leveling up. Battle passes reset every season with new cosmetics and reset progress, with the items of the last battle pass becoming unattainable and exclusive.

## Subscriptions

Fortnite offers a subscription called the “Fortnite Crew”, which is a recurring monthly subscription for players to obtain both recurring and limited-time rewards. For $15.99 CAD/month (pre-tax), players can obtain the following:

* Premium track of the Battle Pass
* 1000 V-Bucks
* A Crew Pack (which consists of a bundle of cosmetics)
* A Rocket Pass (a premium pass for the game Rocket League, which was also developed by Epic Games).

Limited-time rewards in the subscription consist of the Crew Legacy Set, which is a set of items including a dedicated skin that changes based on the month you buy the subscription. Once you are on the pass, if you choose to renew your subscription every month, you will unlock additional items and colourways for the skins you received in the initial purchase.

Crew Membership screen showing immediate unlocked rewards.Getting the crew membership allows you to unlock alternate versions of the Crew subcription skin.
## Loot Boxes

Although Fortnite Battle Royale does not have any loot boxes, Fortnite Save the World used to have “V-Bucks Llama’s” prior to their removal in 2019 which was effectively a daily refreshing loot box.

## DLC

Fortnite: Save the World is a DLC PVE game mode that primarily focuses on tower defense gameplay where players are able to team up and play together. Released in 2017 as a standalone offering prior to the release of the Battle Royale game mode, the DLC is now acquired through the in-game shop or on Epic Games for a cost of $23.99 CAD (pre-tax).

## Editions

Fortnite has no editions of its game available other than the standard version.

## Pay-to-Win Systems

Fortnite does not have any pay-to-win systems in place to give players an advantage during gameplay.

## Limited Time Offers

### Shop Bundles

Fortnite offers a selection of limited-time shop bundles that reset every day at 00:00 UTC. These bundles are a small selection from a growing pool and are only purchasable with real money (V-Bucks are not accepted), typically containing a set of different types of cosmetics with at least one character skin.

## Personal Review

**How does the video game’s culture impact microtransaction spending?**

The game’s culture is heavily defined through character skins and emotes. The developers frequently incorporate well known pop culture characters as skins and market them heavily to the community through ads and content creators on social media. Buying skins and emotes that you identify with and comparing with other players is a fundamental part of the game.

**Is it possible to free-to-play while having a good experience?**

All of Fortnite's multiplayer offerings are available at no cost, and none of its mechanics are locked behind a paywall. Events are also free to participate in and offer unique experiences even without buying their respective skins. Overall, it is definitely possible to have a good experience without spending money.

**What is the value proposition offered by the microtransaction systems and are they substantial improvements over not spending?**

Microtransactions in Fortnite allow players to customize every aspect of their gameplay, providing variety through many types of cosmetic items. Whether or not they are substantial improvements over not spending depends on the player and what they value since the microtransactions offer zero gameplay advantages.

**Do microtransactions add “value” or simply add prices to features/items that other games include by default?**

Microtransactions in Fortnite only offer cosmetic rewards, so it does not include items or features that other games include by default.

**Do you need to spend to have fun?**

It may be hard to fully enjoy the game without purchasing at least a few cosmetics, but given that all of the gameplay related aspects are fully free, it is more than possible to have fun without spending.

**Is it worth spending on microtransactions in the long run?**

It is worth it only if you plan on playing for a very long time and engaging with the community or have friends who regularly play the game. Battle passes or skins may be a worthwhile option to engage more with the game’s culture and support the developers.

**Do I recommend that you spend on this game based on my personal experience playing it?**

From a gameplay perspective, Fortnite has a very casual design which makes it hard to play for a really long time. Due to that, I would not recommend spending money on it.

## Resources

1. ↑ Fortnite Wikipedia
2. ↑ Fortnite FANDOM Wiki - V-Bucks
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Epic Games Help - Refund Policy
4. ↑ Fortnite FANDOM Wiki - Rarity
5. ↑ Fortnite FANDOM Wiki - Battle Pass
6. ↑ Fortnite - Save The World