Epic Games has released a bombshell that has split the Fortnite community right down the middle. The hilarious Delulu mode that was full of crazy social interactions and proximity chat is now limited to creators who have a Creator Code every Friday. That’s right! If you don’t own that special code, you are not playing the game the whole day.
A tweet from HYPEX, who is a well-known and trustworthy leaker, was the source for the news. He shared a picture with the words “EPIC PARTNERS DELULU CONFIRMED ON FRIDAYS” and the crucial information that “Only creators with a Creator Code can play this.” Players jumped to action the very moment and, honestly, their reaction was nothing but negative. The comment section soon became a platform for users showing their irritation, surprise, and even amongst their discussions what this means for the average Fortnite player.
What is the Delulu mode that everyone is talking about? It was the wildest social experiment of Fortnite—a game mode with proximity chat in which players could hear each other, and this led to everything from funny interactions to total chaos. It was like Among Us in Fortnite, where talking is as important as shooting. Or at least that was the situation until the recent limitation.
The community’s response has been mixed. Some creators are taking this opportunity to celebrate what they see as a positive development. A user commented, “We won us creators don’t have to listen to people say slurs.” This highlights one of the major problems with the noisy proximity chat modes—the toxicity that is always present when random players are given the chance to talk. Another creator replied, “Nah they just don’t wanna deal with the mysoginist, racist, unhinged players getting banned every 5 seconds,” implying that Epic might be trying to create a more regulated environment.
However, alongside every creator that is celebrating, there are dozens of players that feel robbed. “So the regular people who really enjoy the mode, can’t play it on Fridays?” was the question of one unsatisfied player, thereby expressing the sentiment of many who see themselves as being punished for not being content creators. Another person said, “This is an L dude Not only it becomes super boring with just Nick eh’s npcs trying all to be family friendly but also having the mode earlier than the rest of the people is awful change,” indicating the concern that creator-only lobbies might become too sanitized and therefore lose the chaotic attraction that made Delulu so popular in the first place.
The announcement came at a very unfortunate time for some players. “Cus I was gonna play it bruh ffs” was the response of one player who had planned their gaming session for Friday and was now let down. There is considerable doubt as to whether this is an entirely new mode or the standard Delulu is just being restricted on Fridays. One post attempted to clarify the matter: “separate mode, it’s played through the compete tab and it’s only for one day a week. delulu will keep the normal schedule for non-creators” but honestly? The overall communication has not been that clear.
Some gamers see it as a contradiction that a game mode that has been so available for a long time now has restrictions placed on it. “Who is this game mode for? It seems it’s just for streamers and content farming; it’s not for the general player base,” one comment read, indicating that Epic might be giving more importance to content production than to actual player enjoyment. This is connected to the larger issue of concern over games turning into a more watchable than playable experience.
The whole Creator Code requirement has kicked off discussions about accessibility. Some say “I don’t think you understand how easy it is to get a creator code lol,” while others take the opportunity to emphasize the barriers. “and my ass STILL doesn’t have a code I NEED ONE fr😭” was the lament of one player, complete with crying emojis to underline the frustration. A feeling of unequal hierarchy has been created in the player base.
The situation is certainly interesting from a business point of view. Creator Codes are a feature of Epic’s Support-a-Creator program, which implies that making this move could potentially result in more people flocking to creators just in order to get access. It is a clever business strategy, although frustrating for players who just want to hop in and play without going through the hassle of needing to get the code.
The mixed reactions from the community really show how divided the players are on this matter. On the one hand, there are those who are tired of the racism and toxicity that usually come with online gaming. On the other hand, there are gamers who feel like they are losing access to something enjoyable because of a few bad apples’ behavior. And in between, Epic is trying to discover a route where a safe environment can be created without making the experience unenjoyable for anyone.
As we approach Friday, all of us will be watching to see how this will turn out. Will creator-only Delulu be a peaceful paradise of friendly gaming, or just a short-term solution until the same problems come up again? Will the regular players find other days to get their Delulu fix, or will this completely kill the mode’s popularity? Only time will be able to answer these questions, but one thing is sure—Epic has definitely got people talking, even if not everyone is happy with what they are saying.
If you are not a creator, then maybe you should consider finding something else to do on Fridays, for now. Or you could try to get that Creator Code—though good luck with that. The rest of us will closely observe whether this experiment of segregated gaming turns into a success or just generates more problems than it solves. Either way, this is another day in the ever-evolving realm of Fortnite, where the only thing that is constant is change and the community is always there to voice their opinions. For those playing on PlayStation or Xbox, this change affects everyone.
