When Epic Games launched Fortnite last summer, it only included the paid-for, narrative game mode, Fortnite Save The World. While more than one million players were willing to pay for it around launch time, Epic Games had planned to open it to everyone by making it free to play sometime in 2018.
Unfortunately for those hoping to play Fortnite Save The World without spending a dime, Epic Games has now announced that it is pushing back the proposed free to play changeover. In a blog post published today, the developer explains that the team is “working on a broad set of features, reworks, and backend system scaling we believe are needed to go free-to-play.”
As consolation for the delay, Epic has also announced a Fortnite Save The World sale of 50% off for this week (Standard, Deluxe, Super Deluxe, and Limited Founder’s packs). Moreover, all Save The World founders who log-in during the Fortnite Halloween event (Fortnitemares) will unlock the Brainiac Jonesy and Skull Ranger Ramirez skins for free.
Understandably, many Fortnite fans who are strapped for cash will be disappointed by this news. While Fortnite Battle Royale does include themed seasons that generally have some sort of thread to follow, FortniteSave The World provides real narrative content to play. But, if players still can’t afford to buy it or are waiting for the free to play change, the delay is going to be upsetting.
But others may praise Epic Games for delaying the release if it means that it will make Save the World better. Fortnite has made more than $1 billion from microtransactions, with most of these being for the battle royale mode. So, it stands to reason that Epic could make a lot of money if it made Save The World free to play now instead of delaying it. Some will praise the developer for prioritizing quality over money-making potential.
It’s also positive that the problem is heading off potential lag problems at the pass (or is it at least trying to). Fortnite is no stranger to technical issues, with many of those stemming from the millions of people who play it every day. As such, any efforts to minimize lag could make that delay worth it.
