A first-person mode in Fortnite may ruin the skins market for Epic

A first-person mode in Fortnite might be an exciting prospect, but can it affect the skins market for Epic?

Fortnite skins are currently one of the most popular in-game cosmetics in all of gaming. With each season, Epic introduces new skins and features to its player base.

One of the newest additions Epic announced at State of Unreal 2024 was to implement a first-person camera tool in Fortnite’s UEFN mode this year. This tool will be added strictly to UEFN for creators to make new maps and modes.

On the other hand, this is in contrast to leaks that were surfacing around social media in 2022 regarding a first-person mode that would be arriving in Battle Royale. That was the speculation put forth by known leakers HYPEX and iFireMonkey, who are data miners in the Fortnite community that have proven correct in the past, such as about LEGO Fortnite and more.

However, could a first-person mode affect the popularity of Fortnite skins significantly?

Ever since they were introduced in 2017, skins have served as a digital status symbol for Fortnite’s most dedicated players. Despite being purely cosmetic, these skins have grown in their appeal, reactivity, and customization in the game with successive seasons.

Still, if a change is on the horizon, and Epic does decide to expand and add a first-person feature to Battle Royale, it could change the skins market forever.

Fortnite’s lucrative skins market

Epic Games has released a total of 1,788 skins in Fortnite since its 2017 launch. According to Sacra, Epic continued to gross over $4 Billion each year, solely in Fortnite microtransactions since 2018. 

The game only grows in terms of player count each year, according to FortniteGG, and part of that is new players being enticed by pop culture favorites they already love. 

However, the implementation of a rumored first-person mode in Fortnite could significantly shift the tide. Contradicting that though, in an email to us, Epic has said: The first-person camera feature is a tool for creators utilizing UEFN, and is not a planned feature for Battle Royale.

However, for the sake of speculation, let’s say these UEFN modes prove exceedingly popular, and Epic does decide to get in on the first-person fun. After all, there is some precedent. 

Players first experienced the first-person camera in Fortnite through The Device event in Chapter 2. In the Chapter 4 Season 1 trailer, players also saw a glimpse of first-person through the Doom Guy emote, which raised their hopes for such a possibility. 

However, if the first-person camera ever did hit Fortnite’s Battle Royale, it could change the skins market and how Epic sells its in-game cosmetics.

Why a first-person mode in Fortnite might affect the skins market

One of the main arguments favoring first-person in Battle Royale is it’s a completely fresh way to play the game. A first-person perspective could provide a more intense, competitive, and immersive experience, opening all sorts of avenues from moment to moment. 

However, this increased immersion may come with a sacrifice. Players will lose the ability to look upon their favorite Disney or DC character at all times, nor the other cosmetic items like back blings while playing. Hands, pickaxes, and weapons would be the only visible cosmetics.

This constraint may lessen the incentive for players to invest in skins, as they will no longer have a view of them at all times.

As such, a first-person camera in Battle Royale, if it ever became the dominant way to play, could have consequences for the in-game shop, potentially lowering demand for the current cosmetic products.

This could provide a concern for Epic Games, which relies largely on microtransactions from cosmetic purchases to fund Fortnite’s continued development and upkeep. 

Whether it would have any impact on the game’s microtransactions, or whether Epic implements the first-person camera widely across its core Battle Royale modes is yet to be seen. However, witnessing how it would affect skins and their construction, would certainly be interesting to see play out.