Epic takes on Roblox: Fortnite creators will soon be able to sell in-game items
Content creators for Fortnite will soon be able to sell "digital durable and consumable items" that they build in the game for real money. Starting in December 2025, developers will be able to net 50% of the V-Bucks value from sales on their Fortnite islands.
As a special promotion, Fortnite creators will be able to earn 100% of the value from December 2025 to the end of 2026. To determine the creator payout in terms of US dollars, Epic will take all real-money spent on V-Bucks in a given month, subtract platform fees (between 12% and 30% on current consoles), and then divide it by the total amount of V-Bucks spent by players.
On average, this amounts to 37% of total revenue at a 50% rate, and 74% at a 100% rate. Developers will need to use Verse-based API and UEFN tools to create their items. Epic compared the payout rate to Roblox, which amounts to 25%.
Besides in-game items, Fortnite creators can also earn based on player engagement in their islands. The current payout formula for engagement "places 40% of the net revenue from Fortnite's Item Shop and related real-money purchases into the engagement pool, which is distributed among creators' and Epic's islands."
Epic said it will improve this starting November 1, 2025, by awarding creators for "reengaging lapsed players" in the Fortnite, by giving them 75% of those players' contributions in the payout pool for the first six months.
Starting in November, Creators can spend real money to promote themselves in a sponsored section on Discover, and 50% of the earnings will be added to the engagement payout pool for all creators. As a special promotion, the rate will be increased to 100% for a limited time starting December 2025 and ending at the end of 2026.
Epic will also launch Fortnite Creator communities in the coming months, letting developers post updates on the web and in-game. Creators will also get access to community forums, and the posts will be shown across "Island Lobbies, Island Pages, Creator Pages and a new row in Discover."
Source(s)
