Epic Games founder: Fortnite's move to accept monero was "accidental"

Startups • January 6, 2019, 3:09PM EST
UPDATED: January 6, 2019, 3:50PM EST
The Block

Tim Sweeney, founder of Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, tweeted on Saturday that "Fortnite’s brief foray into crypto was accidental." On January 1, there were reports that the official Fortnite merchandise store has started to accept monero (XMR) payments through crypto-friendly payment service GloBee. According to Sweeney, Fortnite was working with a partner to open a merchandise store but "somewhere along the way Monero payment was enabled."

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As of the time of this writing, Fortnite's official store has removed the option for monero payments. However, Sweeney added that many employees at Epic Games are "big fans" of the technology behind cryptocurrency, but "a lot more work is needed on volatility and fraud-proofing before bringing it to such a broad audience that includes younger gamers."

About Author

Steven Zheng is a researcher for The Block. He joined The Block in August 2018. Steven graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in economics. Previously, he covered blockchain and crypto at Radicle, a startup analytics firm. He also had brief stints at Cheddar, a media startup, and Bowery Capital, a venture capital firm. He owns bitcoin. Follow Steven on Twitter at: @Dogetoshi

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