Fortnite fans have much to be grateful for this season. Developer Epic Games is launching a Fortnite Crew game subscription. For $11.99 a month, Fortnite Crew members will get lots of extras and exclusives available only to subscribers. The launch will coincide with the December 2 release of Chapter 2 – Season 5. Among the perks will be an exclusive monthly Crew Pack. The December Crew Pack features Galaxia with an all-new outfit and style, plus the Cosmic Llamacorn Pickaxe and Fractured World Back Bling.

Fortnite Crew perks

Fortnite Crew members will receive the following:

• A Battle Pass for the current season. Members will always have access to the current season. New subscribers who paid for the current Battle Pass will receive a one-time 950 V-Buck credit to their account.
• 1,000 V-Bucks (virtual currency) to spend on Shop content like outfits and emotes
• An exclusive monthly Crew Pack. Each pack features an exclusive new outfit plus at least one matching accessory such as a glider, pickaxe or emote.

A Fortnite Crew game subscription can be purchased directly from the Fortnite Item Shop or the Battle Pass purchase screen. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time, and members can keep all previously awarded Battle Passes, V-Bucks and Crew Packs.

Choose platform wisely

In their FAQs, Epic Games cautions subscribers to choose their platform carefully, but a Fortnite Crew game subscription purchased on one platform cannot be transferred to another. For example, if a player subscribes to Fortnite Crew on Xbox, they cannot access that subscription on PlayStation or Switch too. Subscribers will be able to access the items from the subscription across platforms, but the V-Bucks may not be transferrable. Also, subscribers will need to log in to the platform where they subscribed each month to access their subscription.

The big plus for subscribers is they get access to Crew Packs which contains items not available to non-subscribers. Epic Games said they may re-release past Crew Pack items to subscribers, but they will never be sold or given away to non-Crew members.

Insider Take

Epic Games and Fortnite have been in the news a lot these last few months. In August, Epic Games sued Apple over commission fees and their ban from the App Store, and Apple countered that Epic Games had violated the App Store’s terms and conditions. In November, we shared that Epic Games was considering a subscription for Fortnite. Tech Radar reported they were surveying members about a possible subscription to determine interest level and price point. It looks like the feedback was favorable. Regardless of the outcome in court, a Fortnite Crew game subscription is a good strategic move for Epic Games. In addition to in-app purchases that are still available in the game, this provides Epic games with recurring revenue which makes them more sustainable – and less reliance on presence in the App Store.