Fortnite NFT Integration Will Remain A Distant Dream

Fortnite Nft Integration Will Remain A Distant Dream
credits: epic games.com
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Fortnite has been at the forefront of the metaverse race in the gaming industry. In an era where the future of the metaverse is inconceivable without blockchain-powered tokenization, NFT integration on Fortnite was a much-awaited stride. 

However, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has some bad news for Fortnite gamers and NFT enthusiasts.

He publicly turned down what is assumed to be an NFT-collaboration pitch, citing widespread scams as the reason for his reservations. The tweet has garnered some interesting comments from netizens.

While some compare it to saying “we don’t use email because there are email scams”, some back the argument as ‘artificial scarcity for ones and zeros is a scam’.

 

Fortnite’s journey to the metaverse 

Fortnite is a free-to-play cross-platform game launched in 2017 by Epic Games. Actively joining forces with top projects and presumed competitors in the industry, it is one of the first gaming projects led by an interoperable vision. It has grown to become a global phenomenon hosting millions of players every day.  

As the platform garnered massive attention, Fortnite introduced exciting new social features including voice chats, dance parties, and live concerts. Early in 2019, Fortnite hosted Marshmallow in its first-ever in-game concert. In 2021, more celebrities joined the club, including Travis Scott and Ariane Grande. The social VR spectacles on the platform are considered its stepping stone into the metaverse. 

Currently, V-Bucks serves as the in-game currency in Fortnite. It is used to purchase things like outfits, pickaxes, wraps, emotes and Battle Passes. With the upsurge of cryptocurrencies and NFTs, many gaming platforms have made the move to crypto payments and asset tokenization. In fact, NFT marketplaces are flooded with in-game assets worth a fortune today. While Fortnite’s metaverse ambition is still going strong, it has to be concluded that the gaming platform won’t be venturing into NFTs anytime soon. 

“It’s not that digital items must inherently lack utility: I own movies on Amazon Video and outfits in Fortnite, both of which convey ongoing experiential value just like theatrical movies and clothes. But NFT ownership of a .gif and Twitter likes of a .gif seem…fungible,” Tim Sweeney says.

Although skeptical about NFTs, he seems to be in favor of Web 3 in general. He retweeted a post that lists out why decentralization matters, leaving a ray of hope for crypto gamers.