With a grand tease, Epic Games placed the spotlight on Fortnite Festival Season 11, and, frankly, it is a revolutionary directional change that the community was hardly expecting. The official announcement, in full, stated that the next Music Pass would honor the Fortnite Festival; therefore, the emphasis shall be on Fortnite-original rewards and music, which is a far cry from their normal procedure of working alongside big-name musicians. That means the likes of Lady Gaga and The Weeknd from this year’s edition! You know what we mean: unadulterated Fortnite-quality.
And, honestly? The reactions have… well, rather split. Completely divided. Some are all in on it, claiming that it is a cool change after what has felt like two back-to-back collab seasons over the past X years. The others? Well, they’re not happy. Jcbxspirals ranted, “No one wants an original season over an icon headliner, bro. It’s the death of the best mode.” Ouch. But then Axo_XR said, “You literally can’t say no one,” citing all the people on social media who have been clamouring for originals for dances and songs for years. Went into a full debate.
Put it into perspective, and this makes sense. Since 2023, Festival events have been staged, and Epic is now staging Season 11 as a commemoration for it: a birthday party, but for a game mode. They’re calling the players from “keeping the beat going strong,” which is cute. But then again, maybe it just comes down to the cash. GEMY_JUJU said, “a way to save money since FF has lost a lot of players.” Festival hasn’t been pulling as well as it used to, so perhaps original is the most economical way to keep hold of it without dishing out stovepipe full of cash for licensing for bigger artists.
And what’s the revenue generation for the players? The teaser promised “awesome music” with “Fortnite-original rewards,” which almost could mean anything. Could we finally get that OG Classic track as a jam for once, as wished for by coloradoking467? Or some new skins to immortalize some of Fortnite’s own characters: Festival-themed Jonesy, maybe even Peely reskin? Always a Peely reskin. VBeyond8 hopes to see a “first ever MV for a Fortnite original artist,” which would be utterly insane to think about if that were to ever be realized.
While the answer is yes for many, AtomicNofy came in strong: “They freaking hate Festival, dude. Every choice they make is baffling.” From going FOMO with the music model—switching weekly songs to maybe only one or two—and now, this, it all just feels like a downward spiral for Festival. So will anyone care if the next pass drops without a collab headliner anyway? Then again, Dieselbruh_dank says, “It might be the 1st time I ever do Festival if it was actually all-original stuff,” so it just might bring in those players who’re done with the old A-list.
Now, in the broader perspective, collab fatigue is real…. Watcher556 attests and they’re dead correct: “at this point everyone is getting collab fatigue.” About every big IP has been thrust in Fortnite: Marvel, Star Wars, and put every musician on the planet in here to be Fortnite. A Fortnite-that-is-about-Fortnite season would be a breath of fresh air, thus putting the spotlight back on what really makes the game special, rather than depending on some borrowed IP. Also, according to Axo_XR, “it’s not like collabs are going anywhere.” So, this is probably a one-off before the big names come back.
That sounds like a giant void for speculating on lore, which is not a bad thing. On that note, a Fortnite original concert combined with some fun Easter eggs would be a fun time. Butter Barn Hoedown comeback, anyone? Right? Now, to be honest, it may lead to some deep-diving into the game’s own musical history with tributes to old battle pass themes and emotes. “I would kill to have seasons battle pass themes as lobby music,” says GreenStarfish15, which… honestly, I feel the same.
Yeah, so it’s divided. Some are hype, others horrified. Flamgeir hopes they don’t make that a trend… while ssinr_ believes it sounds like a vibe. It’s one of those things we’ll have to wait and see how it goes until it actually drops. Will it bring back lapsed Festival players? Will it be a total flop because people show up for celebrities only? Who knows. One thing, however, does seem certain: Epic does not fear making waves even if it means pissing off a good chunk of the fandom.
So, keep checking for more teasers, because Season 11 is shaping up to be a real contender for most controversial over. Whether you’re for the originals or mourning for the collabs, this one’s sure to be a hot topic. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll toss the whole fandom by the ears and be the best season ever coined. Or maybe it won’t. One way or another, time will tell.
