The charming characters from the physics-based climbing game “Peak” have officially made their way into Fortnite as new cosmetic skins. While their appearance has been adapted to Fortnite’s distinct aesthetic, it’s not the visual design that has players upset, but rather the steep price.
According to calculations by a social media user, a single customizable Peak Scout skin in Fortnite is priced at 2,000 V-Bucks, translating to approximately $22.40 to $22.99. This amount is almost three times the cost of the original “Peak” game, which could be purchased multiple times for that price. This significantly higher cost applies only to the skin, excluding other cosmetic items like the backpack, pickaxe, or wrap.
Even before a recent increase in V-Bucks prices, the Scout skin would have been priced at around $17.80 (or $22.99 with a larger V-Bucks bundle), still making it more expensive than two copies of the “Peak” game. This isn’t an isolated incident, as similar pricing disparities were noted with Fortnite’s Lethal Company skins earlier in 2024, which also cost considerably more than their source indie game.
This pricing has been met with strong criticism from players, with one social media user commenting that it feels “like a slap in the face to the Peak developers,” implying Epic Games values its cosmetic rendition of the character far above the original game itself.
Given Epic Games’ recent layoffs of over 1,000 employees and CEO Tim Sweeney’s admission that the company is “spending significantly more than [it’s] making,” it seems unlikely that players can expect better value for money from Fortnite’s in-game purchases in the foreseeable future.
The author suggests that a more sensible purchase would be the actual “Peak” game itself, especially while it’s on sale for $4.85, rather than investing in a single expensive cosmetic skin.