Fortnite’s Early Access Scheme Seems Absolutely Preposterous

Fortnite has been in development for years.  The original concept from Epic Games was revealed some time ago, popping up here and there in the process.  Well, it appears that Epic is finally ready to release the crafting game to the masses as it will launch into Early Access on July 25th and then transition into a free-to-play game in 2018.

The only problem is, Epic is charging for Early Access to their free-to-play game, and the prices are outrageous.  They range from $39.99 to beta test the game the Epic and get a couple of in-game goodies — all the way up to a $149.99  version of the Early Access game that features a number of in-game free-to-play items which Epic deems a $350 “value.”

The prices combined with the fact that the game is going free-to-play makes this a completely absurd offer.  While others have tried this in the past, noone has gotten this egregious with their Early Access schemes.

Fortnite doesn’t sound groundbreaking.  It still pretty much sounds like the same game they announced back in 2011.  Players will harvest materials, build forts and equipment, and then look to defend themselves from an onslaught.  According to the developer, “Fortnite takes a bunch of Epic’s gunplay know-how and smashes it together with a Diablo-style RPG system.”   Apparently, it took Epic six years to come up with enough free-to-play concepts to make this a profitable venture.

Just look at this pre-order webpage.  It’s really asking a lot for a game that we’ve seen almost nothing of and is going to be free-to-play down the line.  Alongside the “opportunity” to purchase early access to a free-to-play game, Epic did reveal a new gameplay trailer which you can find below.

Keep an eye out for Fortnite on July 25th if you have more money than sense.

Fortnite E3 2017 Trailer