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Fortnite Mobile gets direct payment feature to circumvent Google Play & iOS App Store fees

Fortnite Mobile players on iOS and Android devices can now make purchases directly within the game, as opposed to going through App Store or Google Play respectively.

TJ Denzer

August 13, 2020 8:45 AM

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For most apps running on mobile devices, Google and Apple have always taken a percentage off the top when it comes to sales of anything. The mobile version of Fortnite was not exempt from this, but recently Epic Games has added a feature which could circumvent this process: an in-game payment method which circumvents having to make purchases through the Google Play and iOS App Store, thus possibly circumventing the fees associated with that process.

Epic’s new payment method on Fortnite Mobile was announced in an update regarding V-Bucks (the premium in-game currency) posted on the Fortnite website on August 13, 2020. The topline of the post was that V-Bucks are getting a permanent discount, lowering the price on purchases of pretty much all bundles of the currency on all platforms when you use “select payment methods.” Specifically, Fortnite Mobile on Android and iOS got a new in-game payment method which offers players the option of paying through the associated digital app store or paying directly to Epic - a process that comes with a 20% discount as Epic “passes the savings along to you.”

While this new update to the V-Bucks market in general, and especially on Fortnite Mobile, spells good news for customers looking to get their cosmetics and battle pass needs on in the game, it could ruffle some feathers with both Google and especially Apple, who have notably always taken a share of most sales through their platforms. That said, it could perhaps also be part of a special deal. Apple, after all, despite claiming that its app fees were universal regardless of the app or company, was discovered to be making deals with Amazon that lowered percentage take on Apple’s part of the transaction in exchange for exclusive content from Amazon Video on Apple TV.

Whatever the case, the new Fortnite Mobile in-game payment system should be good news for players looking to save a buck or two on the platform while it lasts. Stay tuned for more information and details on this story, here at Shacknews. Want to know the latest on Fortnite? Check out the new vehicles added to the game in the Joy Ride update.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.