Fortnite Developers to Gain Ability to Sell In-Game Items Directly

Starting in December, Fortnite creators will have the opportunity to sell digital items directly from their custom-made islands. This feature, announced by Epic Games on September 18, 2025, enables creators to design and sell digital items using the Verse-based API and new UEFN tools, although they will not be able to sell physical items. Creators will typically earn 50% of the V-Bucks value from item sales, but from December 2025 to December 2026, they will receive 100% of the V-Bucks value. However, this does not translate to 100% of the sales revenue, as platform and store fees apply. To calculate the V-Bucks value in US dollars, Epic Games totals customer spending on V-Bucks, subtracts fees, and then divides by the total V-Bucks spent. The average platform and store fees are currently 26%, ranging from 12% to 30% on consoles. As a result, from December 2025 to December 2026, creators will effectively earn around 74% of in-game sales, which will decrease to approximately 37% from January 1, 2027. The remaining 50% will cover Epic Games' costs, including server hosting, safety, and moderation. Epic Games is also updating its engagement payout formula to better reward creators for attracting new or reengaging lapsed players. The new formula will allocate 75% of contributions from these players to the creator's engagement payout pool for the first six months. Additionally, Epic Games will introduce a Sponsored Row in Discover, allowing creators to bid for increased visibility. Other updates include the ability for creators to set up campaigns and the launch of Fortnite Creator Communities. Since the launch of UEFN, players have spent over 11.2 billion hours on creator-made islands, resulting in $722 million paid out to creators. Epic Games plans to continue investing in new tools to support creators.