Battle Pass cosmetics will be available in the Item Shop after 18 months.
Ahead of Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4, Epic Games has announced a significant change to the game's Battle Pass structure. Cosmetic items contained within each seasonal Battle Pass will no longer be exclusive. Instead, after 18 months, Fortnite Battle Pass rewards "might" be available for purchase. This decision marks a historic moment in the game's history as the fear of missing out (FOMO) aspect of the seasonal Battle Pass is no longer a concern.
Fortnite Battle Pass exclusivity changes explained
Any Fortnite player over the last seven years understands the struggle of not unlocking a particular skin from one of the many seasonal Battle Pass offerings. Based on this announcement, that struggle will no longer be a concern. As stated by Epic Games in its blog post discussing this change, "Items in future Fortnite Battle Passes might be offered for purchase in the Fortnite Shop after 18 or more months from the Battle Pass’ expiration."
Although the word "might" is worth highlighting here, the overall message addresses the Battle Pass exclusivity issue many have voiced concerns over. For example, those who missed out on Deadpool in the Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 Battle Pass can NEVER unlock that skin. In reality, some players joined the Fortnite chaos later and paid the price for it.
Now, Fortnite players have the option to buy the Battle Pass and enjoy the rewards, additional V-Bucks, and XP progression. Otherwise, you can decide not to purchase the Battle Pass and purchase the cosmetics separately following an 18-month period.
Here are some highlights from the Q&A section:
- The number of alt Styles included with a Battle Pass item may vary each time it comes to the Shop.
- Shop selection is dependent on a variety of factors, and there is no guarantee that a Battle Pass item will come to the Shop after this change goes into effect.
- At least 18 months after a Battle Pass expires, any type of item from the Battle Pass may be added in the Shop for purchase. These include Outfits, Back Blings, Pickaxes, Emotes, Instruments, Decals, Wraps, Loading Screens, Banner Icons, and more.
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Why did Epic Games decide to make this change?
Apart from years of campaigning by fans, Epic Games outlined a significant contributing factor to this decision in the blog post.
"One reason for this change is that we want players down the road to enjoy Battle Pass content such as Outfits based on popular licensed characters. While there is no guarantee that a Battle Pass item will come to the Shop after this change, IP content from future Battle Passes might come to the Shop at least 18 months after the Battle Pass expires."
This news arrived less than 24 hours after Epic Games mistakenly released the five-year-old "limited-time" Paradigm skin, but it's unclear if the two situations are related. Players reacted positively to the Fortnite Battle Pass change, as the possibilities are endless. Purchasing the seasonal offering is no longer a necessity.
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