Nearly 70% of “Fortnite” players have spent money on in-game purchases, paying an average of $84.67 for a variety of emotes, cosmetics and more, according to a new poll from student and personal loan marketplace LendEDU.
LendEDU recently surveyed 1,000 “Fortnite” players about their in-game spending habits. It found nearly 37% of players were buying in-game items for the first time. Most of the money (58.9%) was used to buy new characters. Emotes or dance moves were the least expensive, making up only 9.52% of the total cost.
“The interesting thing about ‘Fortnite’s’ in-game purchases is that there is no tangible advantage or benefit in owning the purchased items,” LendEDU said. “Players that have not spent money on the game are competing on equal footing as those that have bought ‘Fortnite’ items.”
Nearly one-fifth of people surveyed (20%) said they didn’t know their purchases won’t give them an advantage during a match. The vast majority (80%) knew their purchases were merely cosmetic, but they spent the money anyway.
“I would continue to spend if there’s something I really love, like a particularly funny emote or cool skin (outfit),” “Fortnite” player Whitney Meers told LendEDU. “It’s the same amount as a cup of coffee and I get one of those a day, but the pleasure from a fun emote or piece of gear can potentially last as long as I keep playing ‘Fortnite.'”
“It’s totally worth it for me, but on the other hand, I played with someone who said he had dropped over $200 on the game, which seems a little much. He said he vowed not to spend any more,” Meers added.
“Fortnite” made over $300 million across all platforms in May alone, up 7% from April, according to market intelligence company SuperData. The majority of that growth came from consoles, while mobile and PC revenues were flat compared to the previous month.
