For years, Fortnite players have been grinding out the game’s Battle Pass to earn exclusive items before they vanish into the ether.
Each new season brings a barrage of new goodies: one moment players are cosplaying as Marvel superheroes, the next they’re dressed up as Geralt of Rivia, the jaded anti-hero from The Witcher series.
The scarcity of these outfits (or skins, as they’re known in the game) is a big draw for Fortnite, a free-to-play blockbuster that has thrived in part by monetising the digital loot it offers players.
Like Marvel’s planet-gobbling deity Galactus, Fortnite has swallowed pop culture whole and spit it out in its own image; a cartoonish facsimile lapped up by kids and nostalgic adults alike.
Now, after an age spent 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 shift in its policy. When the new season of Fortnite kicks off on August 16, it will mark the end of Battle Pass exclusivity.
As such, items linked to the game’s progression system will be available in the Fortnite Shop 18 months after a season concludes.
While the news will undoubtedly be welcomed by players, who are already pressed for time chasing rewards across different games (from EA FC to Warzone), they’d be wise to temper their expectations.
Instead of dumping an entire Battle Pass worth of items in the shop after the 18-month grace period, Epic will cherry-pick which cosmetics to bring back.
That inevitably means that some items may still remain exclusive forever, though Epic says it will let players know when that’s the case.
Notably, the new rules only apply to future content – so don’t bother rummaging for items from previous Battle Passes in the shop.
Why is Epic making the change?
The new direction comes after Epic accidentally re-released a sought-after item (known as the Paradigm skin). Upon realising its error, Epic told players who had purchased the outfit that it would remove it from their inventories and refund them.
The move inevitably provoked a backlash among some players, many of whom were already concerned about the lack of true ownership over digital goods. If Epic could take back a skin today, what was stopping it from snatching up more items in the future?
To its credit, the developer quickly responded to the alarm by letting players keep the Paradigm skin and their refunds. Now, it seems Epic is applying those learnings to its latest move.
It will probably be music to the ears of Epic’s investors, which include gaming giants Tencent and Sony, Disney, and Lego Group owner Kirkbi. By granting players another opportunity to acquire desirable cosmetics, Epic stands to increase 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 event, where we could find out more about Fortnite’s next Marvel collaboration.
