Future Fortnite Battle Passes will drop some FOMO items, but you’ll still have a long time to wait

Epic Games will soon stop locking items forever within Fortnite Battle Passes, which may hopefully curb the FOMO feeling that often comes with live-service games. But there’s a catch (of course). Fortnite Battle Pass items won’t appear in the Fortnite Store for 18 months after the pass expires.

It’s not the only catch. In the announcement from developer Epic Games, not all items in a Battle Pass will appear in the store after the time limit expires.

“Shop selection is dependent on a variety of factors, and there is no guarantee that a Battle Pass item will come to the Shop after this change goes into effect,” Epic explains in a Q&A. “If an item in a future Battle Pass will never be available outside the Pass, we’ll let you know!” Rough.

The FOMO pressure gets decreased, but not by much

Epic Games makes its stance rather clear in the message. Fortnite fans may get a second chance for that Master Chief Outfit, but the wait will still be killer. At least the studio will let players know what is FOMO and what isn’t.

Items the company plans on moving into the Fortnite Store include:

• Outfits
• Back Blings
• Pickaxes
• Emotes
• Instruments
• Decals
• Wraps
• Loading Screens
• Banner Icons
• And more

There are caveats to consider. Alt Styles for every returned item will “vary each time it comes to the shop.” Epic also writes that the 18-month limit isn’t set in stone. Items may return after at least 18 months have passed from the end of the Battle Pass. You may need to wait longer.

Regardless, fans of the game should be happy that some Outfits and items may soon return. Many Battle Passes haven’t been live in well over 18 months, meaning we could see an influx of content coming to the store very soon. Epic says the move is due to it wanting to give players access to Outfits based on licensed characters after the Battle Pass expires.

For those who don’t know, FOMO means “Fear Of Missing Out.” It’s the pressure you feel from yourself or outside sources when something you want is offered for a limited time only. And once that time is spent, you may not be able to get it ever again. The term applies to more than just games. It can range from TV shows to movies and vinyl records (trust me on this).

It might not be perfect, and 18 months may still be too much for some to bear. But I can give kudos to Epic Games for at least giving players who missed out a second chance at getting some crisp Outfits.