A new rumor going around suggests that Fortnite will be shutting down in 2024, but Battle Royale fans need not worry just yet.
Live service games that are always online only have a lifespan as long as the servers stay up. Therefore, Fortnite fans do occasionally worry that all their hard-earned progress (and purchased skins) will one day be gone forever – and they’re correct in this assumption!
But Fortnite is still one of the world’s biggest video games at this point in time, so is there any truth to the rumor that it’s shutting down in 2024?
Is Fortnite Shutting Down in 2024?
No, Fortnite is not shutting down in 2024. Epic Games has not announced any plans to shut down the Battle Royale title, despite recent rumors.
The game is still one of the company’s top revenue streams, making it incredibly unlikely that we’ll see Fortnite shut down any time soon.
The rumors of the game being taken down appear to have started thanks to a combination of factors, including Donald Mustard’s retirement and Epic Games’ recent layoffs.
Where Did the Fortnite Shutdown Rumors Begin?
Recently, Epic Games made headlines by laying off a staggering 16% of its workforce in a cost-cutting attempt. Around 830 employees were let go from the company at the end of September 2023.
In the company’s press release, the following statement was made regarding Fortnite:
“While Fortnite is starting to grow again, the growth is driven primarily by creator content with significant revenue sharing, and this is a lower margin business than we had when Fortnite Battle Royale took off and began funding our expansion.”
From the sound of things, Fortnite is actually on the rise when it comes to profits, though much of the new revenue is going directly to creators.
Earlier in the month, Donald Mustard, Chief Creative Officer at Epic, announced that he was retiring from the company after nearly 25 years in the game industry.
It is unlikely that Mustard’s retirement was connected to the recent layoffs, but the CCO most likely did know that cost-cutting was on the way when choosing when to release his statement.
On top of the factors above, the price of V-Bucks is rising in several countries around the globe, with the currency rising by about 12-15% in the US.
Fans shouldn’t worry though, this price increase doesn’t appear to be a way of squeezing the last few pennies out of players before an impending shutdown!