Crypto is coming for Fortnite – whether it likes it or not

Epic Games’ enormously popular battle royale shooter Fortnite made headlines this week after it shut down—but only for a couple of days. Epic cannily replaced the game’s vibrant map with a black hole, which fans stared at until it revealed the game’s Chapter 2 update, adding a brand-new environment, fresh gameplay elements, and a refreshed interface.

With some 250 million total players as of this past spring, Fortnite is a cultural sensation that goes beyond core gamers—and it’s big business too. The game may be free to download and play, but in-game costumes and other paid perks have generated huge revenues for Epic—$2.4 billion in 2018 alone. Naturally, that’s got the blockchain community asking: when will Fortnite include crypto?

You can’t (yet) spend cryptocurrency in the game itself, but both Fortnite and Epic Games have already crossed paths with crypto and blockchain in a number of ways. Can in-game integration be far behind? Here’s a look at the ever-growing…