A credible Fortnite leaker has claimed that the game’s Save the World mode could soon be made free-to-play, alongside the wider ecosystem.
Posted by @ShiinaBR on X, known for their regular and reliable Fortnite insider information, the post simply reads:
Shiina further clarifies in the post’s thread that “expect a blog post soon,” confirming that Epic Games has made Fortnite‘s Save the World mode free-to-play.
Curiously, this does not appear to be the first time that Epic Games has considered making Save the World free. Many comments responding to the leaker have cited a screenshot from early in the game’s history, which reads:
The Save the World PvE campaign is in paid Early Access with microtransactions. Early Access means it’s still in development with bugs and balance issues. If that’s not for you, Save the World will be free in 2018. Buy a Founder’s Pack now to play right away and get unique items and rewards.
Fortnite Save the World is not a free experience, like so much of what’s available from Epic Games’ ecosystem. To get access, you currently need to invest in the Full Clip Pack, which costs $18.49 / £13.99 and includes access to the PvE campaign, Clip outfit, Clip’s toolkit back bling, and a Sock’em Socket Pickaxe.
By completing daily quests and challenges in Save the World, you’re able to earn up to 1,500 V-Bucks, around a $15 / £13 value, which can be spent on in-game cosmetics, emotes, music for Fortnite Festival, etc. However, prior to June 29, 2020, the coveted Founders Packs (essentially) gave players an “unlimited source of V-bucks” through Founders Quests.
A second chance for Fortnite’s original game mode
It’s challenging to remember now, given how Fortnite‘s popularity has exploded over the last decade, but Save the World was its original game mode. Long before there was Battle Royale, Zero Build, Ballistic, Festival, and Lego, the title was supposed to be a PvE premium experience.
Originally, Save the World debuted in July 2017 before being absolutely eclipsed by the free-to-play “side mode” of Battle Royale in September of the same year. The rest is history; Epic Games smartly pivoted its attention to content updates, new seasons, chapters, and tweaks to the main mode, which drew in millions, leaving the PvE campaign as an afterthought.
Epic Games cannot be blamed for this, really. According to Fortnite.gg, Save the World peaked at only 76,630 players, and currently has merely 6,147 online. In contrast, Battle Royale peaked at 1,359,235 players (a 1,673% increase) and sees over 130,000 people jumping off the Battle Bus today.
While the PvE mode has been monetized as a standalone feature to drive player incentives, the figures and the community make it clear that Fortnite gamers just aren’t interested. Really, making Save the World free-to-play should have happened a long time ago, and we’ll see what comes of this alleged leak.
