Fortnite may no longer hold a monopoly over the battle royale genre, but it is still doing well enough to justify a continuous stream of content updates. To fund those development costs, it looks like Epic is exploring more ways to offer value and retain its player base moving into 2021. Earlier this year, the price of V-Bucks was permanently reduced, but the pay model changes might not stop there. It seems a monthly subscription plan is on the minds of the Fortnite developers, and Epic sent out a survey to see what people think.
According to the Reddit post, the subscription wouldn’t be generally cheap. Epic asked participants to voice their thoughts about a price somewhere between $13.99-18.99 USD per month. However, it would offer better value for those still spending on the game. This is because Fortnite cosmetics are notoriously expensive, though the quality, creativity, and variety seem to appeal well enough. Epic’s potential strategy is to lean harder into the appeal and offer players monthly skin packs, 1000 V-Bucks, and access to the battle pass.
Let’s do maths
Anyone that adds up the value can see why this could work. Of course, the free-to-play option would still remain, but it’s likely the company’s hope that it can incur additional (and more stable) revenue by offering players more. The subscription adds up though, so it would be something players would need to consider as an annual cost. With these price points, players could expect to blow somewhere between $170-230 USD plus tax per year. There’s no contract though, so the potential value for this would ultimately depend on the individual.
If you’ve always wanted to look better in Fortnite without breaking the bank, this subscription model would be the way to do it. The battle pass provides the most value in the game currently (unless you cash out on the $99.99 USD V-Bucks bundle). The battle pass limits the potential for a more unique appearance though, because everyone ends up with the same skins. With hundreds of skins now in the game, a subscription model would give players far more buying options in Fortnite.
This is of course just a survey though, and Epic has considered subscriptions before. I guess we will just have to wait and see if it becomes a reality this time.
