Epic Games to permit Fortnite builders to promote in-game objects

From December, Fortnite creators will be capable to promote objects straight from their Fortnite islands.

Epic Games introduced the brand new in-game gross sales function on September 18, 2025, revealing that creators will be capable to create and promote “digital durable and consumable items they build for their games,” utilizing Verse-based API and new UEFN instruments. They cannot, nevertheless, promote bodily objects, similar to t-shirts.

While builders will “ordinarily” earn 50% of the V-Bucks worth from merchandise gross sales, from December 2025 till December 2026, the speed might be 100%.

However, that does not imply they’re going to creators will earn 100% of gross sales income.

In the press launch asserting this new gross sales function, Epic Games defined how the share of in-game gross sales is distributed to creators.

“In recent years, Epic has been investing and operating the business at a loss”

Epic Games

To decide the V-Bucks worth in US {dollars} in a given month, the corporate totals all buyer real-money spending on V-Bucks (transformed to US {dollars}) after which subtracts platform and retailer charges. These can vary from 12% on the Epic Game Store to 30% on present consoles. Epic Games then divides this by the whole V-Bucks spent by Fortnite gamers.

Fortnite’s common platform and retailer charges are at present 26%, Epic Games mentioned, with “specific fees” starting from 12% to 30% on consoles.

So, from December 2025 to December 2026, the 100% V-Bucks worth creators will earn will translate to a roughly 74% reduce of in-game gross sales.

From January 1, 2027, nevertheless, that quantity will drop by half, a 50% V-Bucks worth equating to a roughly 37% reduce of in-game gross sales for creators.

Epic Games mentioned the opposite 50% allows the corporate “to cover the costs of servicing the Fortnite ecosystem.”

“The funds that don’t go back to creators contribute to server hosting costs, safety, and moderation costs, R&D and other operating expenses,” Epic Games mentioned. “In recent years, Epic has been investing and operating the business at a loss.”

In addition, Epic Games is updating its engagement payout system, which points payouts to creators primarily based on engagement of their islands, to “better reward creators for bringing in new or reengaging lapsed players in Fortnite.”

The present payout system provides 40% of the web income from Fortnite’s Item Shop and associated real-money purchases into the engagement pool, which is distributed amongst creators’ and Epic’s islands.

But, from November 1, 2025, Fortnite creators “that bring in new or lapsed players” will obtain 75% of these gamers’ contributions to the engagement payout pool for his or her first six months.

To determine gamers and islands that fall beneath this banner, Epic Games will think about “signals from direct links, in-game search usage, and first-day playtime patterns.”

Epic Games can be altering the retention part of those engagement payouts, now rewarding “island-specific retention, rather than ecosystem-wide retention” to “better align with creators’ own efforts in growing this metric.”

However, to fight fraudulent engagement, this engagement payout system will solely contemplate gamers who’ve made purchases on their accounts.

“Since UEFN launched, players have spent over 11.2 billion hours across 260,000 live creator-made islands”

Epic Games

Epic Games has mentioned this may “not reduce the total engagement payout pool,” it as an alternative “shifts the calculation” in order that the playtime of non-payers is not thought-about.

As such, the engagement payout system now covers minutes performed, new person acquisition, lapsed person acquisition, playtime surrounding V-Bucks spend, and island retention.

Epic Games can be introducing a “prominent” Sponsored Row in Discover on November 24 2025, in order that “creators can choose to spend money to receive increased visibility for their islands.”

“All creators will have transparent market data to bid for placement in the row and enter an auction to surface islands in the new Sponsored Row,” Epic Games mentioned. “All other rows in Discover will remain unchanged, continuing to provide organic visibility to islands.”

In the “long-term,” 50% of income from sponsorship generated by this function will go into the engagement payout pool, however from launch till the tip of 2026, 100% will enter the pool.

Other creator-focused additions coming to Fortnite embrace the flexibility for creators to arrange campaigns within the creator portal, beginning November 17, 2025, and the launch of Fortnite Creator Communities “in the next few months,” permitting creators to attach and share updates with their gamers.

“Since UEFN launched, players have spent over 11.2 billion hours across 260,000 live creator-made islands, which has resulted in $722,000,000 paid out to date,” Epic Games mentioned.

“We’ll continue investing in new tools that unlock more development possibilities for creators.”