Reloading V-Bucks should be universal for all Fortnite players

Fortnite allows players in Germany and Italy the ability to only buy the V-Bucks they need.

Have you ever wondered why Fortnite can be free to play and still makes hundreds of millions of dollars per year in pure profit? Well, it comes down to how they benefit off of things like cosmetics, subscriptions and of course, the merch. One of the ways they’re able to do so well is because they essentially force you to spend more money than you need to buy cosmetics.

Say you have 300 V-Bucks, and only need 200 more. You’ll have to spend $7 actual dollars to just get the 200 you need. That’s why Fortnite has its own currency, so that way you have to spend more money than necessary.

Sure, you’ll have the extra for later use, but who knows when you’ll actually want to, or get to spend them. Meanwhile, you paid $5 more on cosmetics than you needed to, and now you’re left holding onto digital currency you can’t redeem elsewhere, which has no real value outside of the game.

It’s a pretty underhanded tactic, and it’s why Germany and Italy don’t put up with that. In those countries, Fortnite has to operate differently due to local laws. These countries are the only two in the world where you can purchase the V-Bucks that you need only. So if you’re 200 V-Bucks short, you can purchase the V-Bucks that you need with no problem.

Fortnite needs to do away with this predatory exchange process

I like Fortnite. It’s a fun game. But the way Fortnite treats its player base is pretty cruddy. The cash-to-V-Bucks exchange is among the most problematic features that they employ. There’s no real reason to offer a cash-for-V-Bucks exchange in the first place.

It’s just an easy way to gift $7 extra dollars out of players. Now, I’m not going to pretend as I’ve never purchased V-Bucks. I have. I’ve never gone too wild with the concept, but I’ve found myself needing an extra 100 or so V-Bucks every once in a while.

So yeah, I know first hand that it doesn’t make any sense for me to drop $7.99 for 1,000 or $19.99 for 2,800 V-Bucks, when I just need a dollar and change worth. This is something that needs to change.