For years, Fortnite players have been fighting their way through the game’s Battle Pass to grab exclusive items before they disappear into thin air.
Each new season brings with it a flood of new treats: one moment players are dressing up as Marvel superheroes, the next they’re dressed as Geralt of Rivia, the jaded antihero from the Witcher series.
The rarity of these outfits (or skins, as they’re called in-game) is a big draw for Fortnite, a free-to-play blockbuster that thrives in part by monetizing the digital loot it offers players.
Like Marvel’s planet-devouring deity Galactus, Fortnite has swallowed pop culture whole and spat it back out in its own image; a cartoonish facsimile that is being consumed by children and nostalgic adults alike.
After spending an eternity chasing exclusive digital loot, Fortnite players will soon have a second chance to grab the game’s coveted skins.
How is the Fortnite Battle Pass changing?
Epic Games has announced a massive change to its policies. When the new Fortnite season starts on August 16, it will mean the end of Battle Pass exclusivity.
Therefore, items linked to the game’s progression system will be available in the Fortnite store 18 months after the conclusion of a season.
While players will no doubt welcome this news, as they are already pressed for time as they seek rewards in various games (from EA FC to Warzone), it would be wise to temper their expectations.
Instead of throwing an entire Battle Pass’ worth of items into the shop after the 18-month grace period, Epic will carefully choose which cosmetic items come back.
This inevitably means that some items may remain exclusive forever, but Epic says it will let players know if this is the case.
Note that the new rules only apply to future content, so don’t search the store for items from previous Battle Passes.
Why is Epic making the change?
The new direction comes after Epic accidentally re-released a coveted item (known as the Paradigm skin). When Epic realized its mistake, the company told players who had purchased the outfit that it would remove it from their inventories and refund them.
The move inevitably sparked a backlash from some players, many of whom were already concerned about the lack of true ownership of digital goods. If Epic could take back a skin today, what was to stop it from snapping up more items in the future?
The developer quickly responded to the warning and let players keep the Paradigm skin and their refunds. Now, Epic seems to be applying those learnings to its latest move.
That will likely be music to the ears of Epic’s investors, which include gaming giants Tencent and Sony, Disney and Lego Group owner Kirkbi. By giving players another way to acquire desirable cosmetic items, Epic can increase its revenue from in-game purchases.
On Saturday (August 10), Epic will accelerate its partnership with Disney by livestreaming some of the media giant’s D23 fan events, where we can learn more about Fortnite’s next Marvel collaboration.
