The rumour about potential changes to the Fortnite Crew subscription got everyone in the Fortnite community, like, totally mad, and all of this happened earlier today. The leak was, in the beginning, very softly, iFireMonkey, the reputable leaker, found out that Epic Games would introduce a new tier system for the Crew pack which is very much likely to increase the current tier’s price and there would be a new cost-effective Tier 2 option that would probably cut access off to the passes for LEGO, Festival, and OG among others. No doubt, the players did not like the idea at all.
Then, the official Fortnite Status account came in a way that was really heroic, and the situation was basically, brought to an end. They answered the leak and stated, “The rumors are not true and the price changes aren’t happening,” which was really direct of them. That was the end of panic, however, it was a very short ride, as gamers from all over the world were just wondering if they would be tricked into a bad deal.
The first leak had people pondering and speculating quite a lot. The notion was of a two-tier system. As per one theory, Tier 1, which is already available, was said to be getting a price hike, according to some files. A new Tier 2, however, would be available for less money but it would be a scaled-down version. The bonus passes for LEGO Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, or the Rocket Racing OG would not be provided. For players who love all the bonus content, that cheaper tier would have been almost useless, and a price hike on the main subscription would have been a big disappointment.
The reaction of the community was, as you would expect, very mixed and extremely loud. One player, Tim (@SpookySpooking), voiced the opinion of many, saying, “Yeah I was gonna cancel myself if this was true. I want all the passes if I’m paying $30 lol.” That’s exactly the point, right? You opt for the Crew to receive everything in one go. Losing some content feels like a major drawback.
And to make the situation even worse, the replies section witnessed yet another argument about a recent actual change Epic had made to the Crew subscription. A user named Justin was talking to another user, PureLaith, about how Epic had recently changed the rules, making it such that you only receive the Battle Pass if you are a subscriber on the day of its release. Before, you could sort of play the system by subscribing for one month, skipping the next month, and then subscribing again. PureLaith contended that this change was Epic’s way of supporting that loophole, and it was not a greedy cash grab after all. “Epic wouldn’t have needed to change it to function like that if people didn’t use the crew pass as a way to get two Battle Passes for free,” they said. It’s a solid argument, even if it doesn’t go over well with some.
This whole drama has shown how picky gamers can be when it comes to subscription-based services. A company that is already in a good position will find that even a minor dab of change, especially if it involves a price increase, will attract a very loud protest. User @Mariolxl1 simply expressed his gratitude and tweeted, “Thank God you guys aren’t pulling an Xbox stunt 😅”. He was referring to how other companies have done some wrong things regarding their subscription service in the recent past.
It is also a demonstration of the leakers’ influence in the Fortnite community. The accounts such as iFireMonkey and HYPEX usually provide very reliable information as they examine game files and unearth secrets before they are officially announced. But at times, what they come across are just concepts that Epic is testing internally, which might never see the light of day. This seems to be one of those cases. Perhaps Epic was just playing around with the idea when they saw the files being mined, followed by the instant backlash, which eventually led to the official denial. One user, @brandonjoon2, even speculated, “You were probably considering it but saw the community’s response; however, I can’t prove it.” It could be true!
As of now, Fortnite Crew remains the same. You pay the subscription fee, get your V-Bucks, your exclusive skin, the current Battle Pass, and also get the extra passes for the other game modes. Honestly, that is still one of the best bargains in gaming. Epic Games’s quick response to the rumor was indeed a good sign. It means that they are paying attention, or at least that they know that changing the Crew formula would lead to a PR disaster.
So, yes. The disaster was avoided. No new tiers, no price hikes. At least not for now. The Fortnite community can finally breathe a sigh of relief and return to their main activity of building, shooting, and complaining about the next one. This is just a part of the fun, after all. The whole saga was a swift reminder of how close players and developers are today and how a single tweet can cause a chain reaction among millions of gamers. Amazing! Anyway, back to the grind. Got to finish those weekly quests. Wait, what was I saying? Oh yes, Fortnite Crew is safe. For now. Probably. Let’s see what the leaks of next week will bring us.
