Monero (XMR), an open-source cryptocurrency found in 2014, tweeted on 1 January 2019 that the merchandize store for Fortnite will be accepting the cryptocurrency as a payment method.

Retail Row, which is the name of the merchandize store, reportedly supports GloBee, a crypto payments service which allows retail stores to accept payments in the form of cryptocurrency. Several cryptocurrencies such as Ripple (XRP), Bitcoin (BTC), Litecoin (LTC), Ethereum (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE) others are supported by the service. However, Fortnite’s merchandize store will only be accepting XMR as a digital currency payment, which is rather confusing. The store will still accept traditional methods of payment such as using PayPal or credit cards.

The integration of the digital currency into the game’s merchandize store was seen by many as a step towards the adoption of cryptocurrency. This is because the battle royale created by Epic Games has an enormous player base and gains a lot of viewership on streaming platforms such as Twitch. This integration would expose more consumers to the crypto world and promote the usage of cryptocurrencies in everyday life.

However, there are people that do not see the addition of the payment method as useful or beneficial. Some commented that nobody will use the digital currency to purchase products in the store at all, since more conventional ways are available to consumers.

It is worth noting that Riccardo Spagni, an active and leading member in the crypto community, tweeted his support for the addition, writing that XMR’s privacy features are the reason why one should use the cryptocurrency to make purchases in the store.

With video games gaining more popularity as time passes, they might just become the key to a world where crypto is massively adopted. Unfortunately, criminals have also figured out that the huge player base for video games could ‘benefit’ them. Hackers have been luring Fortnite players to download malware that targeted the players’ Bitcoin wallet addresses. Cryptojackers have also been targeting hardware owned by players to mine cryptocurrencies, especially XRP. It was reported by Palo Alto Networks, a multinational cybersecurity company, that 5% of circulating XMR was mined via cryptojacking.