Controversy surrounds Fortnite's latest in-game marketplace, sparking strong disagreements among players
Fortnite has announced a significant change to its platform, allowing creators to sell in-game items using V-Bucks, starting from December. This move has been met with both enthusiasm and apprehension from various players and creators alike.
The largest Fortnite creators, such as Ninja, Tfue, and Lachlan, are expected to benefit from this new revenue stream, thanks to Epic Games’ Support-A-Creator program. However, specific rankings or exact revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.
Epic Games will take all customer real-money spending to purchase V-Bucks, after subtracting platform and store fees. Last year, the company paid $325m to creators in engagement payouts.
Concerns about this new feature include potential harm to the game's ecosystem, lack of protection tools for players, and the possibility of pay-to-win games. Some players are particularly concerned about creators who focus on selling random items locked behind paywalls, hindering player progress.
Another concern is the move towards Roblox-style monetisation in Fortnite, with creators selling in-game advantages. There is a worry that big creators with large amounts of money could exploit the new addition of selling in-game items.
Fortnite's Creative Mode, launched in 2018, has been popular, allowing players to create their own maps and modes. Creators can now use a Verse-based API and new UEFN tools to create and offer items for sale. Epic Games is also introducing a "Sponsored Row" for increased visibility of creators' islands, starting from November. Creators will earn 50% of the V-Bucks value from sales, with an initial rate of 100% until 2026.
There is a call for a review system to prevent scummy behavior and maintain fairness in the game. As of September 18, 2025, there is ongoing discussion about these concerns among the Fortnite community.
In recent news, a Fortnite version of the Roblox meme game Steal A Brainrot had more concurrent players than official maps, highlighting the potential popularity of user-generated content.
Despite these concerns, the move to allow creators to sell in-game items could provide a new avenue for creators to monetise their content, shifting focus from engagement numbers to revenue from item sales. However, it remains to be seen how this change will impact the Fortnite community in the long run.
