The official reasoning is “the cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot,” but in practice, it’s a way to maintain revenue without explicitly hiking sticker prices. Players still get enough V-Bucks through progression to buy the next Battle Pass, but the bonus rewards that used to pad the economy are gone, and the base V-Bucks-per-dollar ratio is worse across the board.
It’s a classic case of a successful live-service game adjusting its in-game economy to cover costs while trying not to shock the player base too dramatically—but many will definitely notice they’re getting less bang for their buck.