As much as the industry understands gaming is a business, some companies never seem to get enough. Take Epic for example, who have been tinkering with monetization yet again. In a recently announced in-island transaction system, Fortnite could see the reintroduction of loot box-style purchases within player-created game modes.
It’s yet again being framed rather innocuously, giving power to creators and expanding their monetization options.
On the surface it seems like Epic is just trying to improve their ecosystem, they are a business after all. But if you dig a little deeper and peel away the tapestry of typical PR buzzwords, this appears a thinly veiled attempt to reintroduce loot boxes in disguise.
Are Fortnite Loot Boxes Truly Back?
The new system is called In-Island Transactions, and at first glance, all it does is allow Fortnite creators to offer items as part of an in-game purchase. The problem arises, when you introduce the word randomized, which evokes slot machine-esque imagery.
It marks the first time Fortnite will allow loot box-style purchases since it removed them from the game in 2019.
The items you can get can be cosmetics, power ups or even collectibles, and they can be acquired with V-Bucks. In all fairness, Epic have sought to heavily regulate these transactions, and will in fact adhere to regional laws.
However, randomized purchases which are paid with your hard-earned cash, are just loot boxes under another name, and with the way players have been rioting against this predatory practice, we’re not sure this is the smartest move here. Many players are now aware of the way gaming companies try to get into your pockets, and it reflects in many countries taking legal action against it.
Brazil became one of several countries to put age restrictions on loot boxes, alongside Belgium, parts of Australia, and countries like the Netherlands have even banned loot boxes. The UK’s Gambling Commission has explicitly warned developers to stay as transparent as possible in order to protect their player base.
Think about the player base when it comes to games like Fortnite and Roblox – they’re impressionable and young – and Epic has to make sure that this transparency isn’t just a legal checkbox.
Players in the following regions will be restricted from these new in-game purchases:
- Singapore
- Qatar
- Australia
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- United Kingdom (U18)
- Brazil (U18, effective March 2026)
Is This a Move to Keep Fortnite vs Roblox Rivalry Even?
The case is crystal; Fortnite is trying to keep Roblox within reach. What began as the (arguably) poster-child for the up-and-coming battle royale genre, is slowly but surely stepping away from that legacy, and is instead trying to be a creative platform.
But does it have the best interest of the player base in mind? The fear is that in order to chase Roblox’s admittedly impressive, yet predatory monetization doctrine, Fortnite is forgetting its roots and inevitably become just another live service disaster.
Let’s look at Roblox too, since that ecosystem has faced years of criticism for the exploitative nature of its microtransactions, and you can dress it up as much as you want, the minimal creator payouts, and the way too young player demographic spending actual money on randomized content, speaks a clear language.
So, is Fortnite trying to chase Roblox? Perhaps, and this open-market chaos may change the BR shooter forever.
This Feels Like a Step Back For Fortnite And Epic
The ability to evolve has been one of Fortnite’s biggest strengths, and persuaded even the most hardcore critic to look past the numerous changes Epic has put forward. But this news feels slightly different, it feels like a resurrection of the worst parts of an industry, which already burned many players by offering insignificant horse armor to Oblivion players in 2005.
Fortnite doesn’t need loot boxes. It doesn’t need to chase Roblox, or any other monetization behemoth, for that matter. Fortnite already is one of the biggest shooters on the market, but this move suggests that player creativity as an art form isn’t what Epic is truly after. It’s a revenue model, make no mistake – and in that sense, the only loser in this equation is the player.
