Epic defends Fortnite V‑Bucks price hike as tied to operating costs

Epic Games says the upcoming V‑Bucks price increase is intended to "help pay the bills." Andrea Balta, senior director of ecosystem growth at Epic, told The Verge during GDC 2026: "It's pure operating costs of running a business, and that was the main push." Allison added there are "amazing things that'll be rolling out in the next, like, six-to-12 months that, I think, when you look back, you'll understand what's been going on." The change takes effect on March 19, when $8.99 will buy 800 V‑bucks instead of 1,000, and packs at all subsequent price-points have been downsized accordingly, a move that has not been received positively by many players.

Fortnite's adjustment follows a broader trend: RuneScape recently raised subscription prices and is phasing out legacy pricing for longtime subscribers. Epic has been described as more lenient than Jagex overall, since RuneScape last saw subscriptions become more expensive in 2024, whereas V‑Bucks were increased in 2023.

epic games, v-bucks, fortnite, price hike, operating costs, gdc 2026, march 19, $8.99, runescape, jagex