Studio Epic Games today announced a new subscription service for its hit Battle Royale game Fortnite. Called Fortnite Crew, the said subscription offering will be launching December 2. So, simultaneously with Chapter 2 of Season 5. Epic developers are describing it as a new way of ensuring you won’t miss on any top-of-the-line in-game content.
Whether that’s skins, V-Bucks deals, or other types of digital goodies typically found in Battle Passes. Speaking of things that cost money, Fortnite Creq will set you back $11.99 a month. So, less than half of the average Battle Pass, not accounting for any discounts. Come December 2nd, you will be able to subscribe to this new, lite version of the Battle Pass directly from the Fortnite Item Shop. Besides monthly outfit bundles and some limited-edition gimmicks, this new entry-level subscription tier will also net you a cool 1,000 V-Bucks every month.
The overall idea being pretty obvious: keep as many players subscribed for as long as possible. Today’s announcement marks a pretty major step on Epic’s part toward monetizing Fortnite more aggressively, thus ensuring its continued sustainability. Not that a game making just under a couple of billion dollars in an off year (aka 2019) was ever really in danger of getting shut down.
But you know how it is, investors love their margins kept nice, fat, and predictabl – ideally in recurring monthly payment of a dozen or so bucks.