Fortnite Steal the Brainrot Microtransactions Are Gambling

One of the biggest differences between Fortnite and a lot of other shooters is the expansive Creative mode, which has some new options now. Players can do Fortnite gambling! Children can gamble in Fortnite! At least that’s the default of accounts in a setting that’s been turned on recently with the addition of microtransactions. One popular map in particular has made headlines, the Fortnite Steal the Brainrot Microtransactions. Which enable gambling for kids.

Thanks to the new Creative tools, map makers are now free to add options to let any players gamble on “random items”, or loot boxes. Battle Royale is still the biggest part of Fortnite, but lately some Creative maps are getting up there. Since Roblox is having a bit of a moment with its community right now, a lot of players are in Fortnite. Especially for Roblox copycat maps like Steal the Brainrot. Which has had around a million players for recent events.

This map’s use of some new features is concerning though. It’s letting players pay a ton more V-Bucks than anything else in the game charges, for pretty much nothing. Taking a child-targeted map on a popular children’s game, and adding a “random chance” purchase which looks a lot like gambling.

You Can Buy Map-Specific Items in Fortnite Now

Fortnite has always allowed you to trade real world money for in-game currency, then buy stuff with it. But for the most part it’s been pretty up front with what you’re getting. Loot boxes are firmly in Fortnite’s past, after a big lawsuit that cost Epic millions. Since then they’ve abandoned them as a mechanic.

We’ve seen prices increase over the years, but not a lot of change. As part of the UEFN expansion though, you can now waste V-Bucks in a whole new way. On Steal the Brainrot microtransactions

In their latest quest to ape Roblox, Creative now lets players purchase items on maps. The prices are set by the map makers, as are the items. Although, Epic has put some limits on prices. This has meant some creators have raced to take advantage of the new options and start earning more V-Bucks. The Fortnite Steal the Brainrot microtransaction has items just marginally below the max price.

Fortnite Creative, since money was added, has kind of become a race to the bottom. Players use any underhanded trick to get some cash out of the ecosystem. From endless rip off maps to now charging people for temporary and useless items. Ultimately, it is up to the map maker how they want to utilize these new options. And one of the biggest has taken a look at these options and gone straight to gambling.

Underage Gambling Now Possible Thanks to Steal the Brainrot Microtransactions

This change to Fortnite Creative hasn’t just meant that map makers can charge for items, they can also charge for the chance at items. The biggest example so far is in the most played map, Steal a Brainrot.

Heading into this map, a wheel will default to handing over V-Bucks. It’s a way to let anyone gamble using V-Bucks instead of just buying an item. With no age checks, or any safe guarding.

It contains a big wheel. You hit a button, you get something back of varying value. Essentially spinning and then getting a randomly generated result, of winning something more valuable than what you put in or less. It’s a slot machine, promoted on the discover tab of Fortnite most days.

Now, these “random item” purchases can be disabled. Thankfully. But only parents who are periodically checking their kid’s in-game settings for each and every time would likely realize it’s even an option. Otherwise, you just have to hope the younger audience understands that Steal the Brainrot Microtransactions are a waste of V-Bucks.

Loot box mechanics and other forms of gambling in games have been regulated or a while now. With varied regulatory rules, most games have chosen to abandon paid loot boxes rather than maintain differing monetization systems depending on your region. Those that do have gambling mechanics need to have a higher age rating.

These issues could end up hitting Fortnite in the future thanks to these changes. It is a platform, and it’s up to map makers to decide how they use microtransactions. But it’s up to Epic to decide what the limits are. It wouldn’t be the first time Epic had been raked over coals for predatory monetization practises aimed to children in Fortnite. Although, this time it’s map makers at the center of things.