Epic Games to Allow Fortnite Developers to Sell In-Game Items Beginning December

Exciting Development for Fortnite Creators: Direct Sales of In-Game Items

Epic Games has unveiled a significant update for its Fortnite developers, announcing that starting this December, they will have the ability to sell in-game items directly from their creations. This new revenue stream will complement the earnings already generated through engagement payouts.

The announcement was made via a comprehensive blog post on the official Fortnite website. According to the post, creators will benefit from receiving 100% of the revenue from item sales on their islands for the duration of 2025, with payments reverting to a 50% split at the beginning of 2027.

Updated Engagement Payouts

In conjunction with this new feature, Epic will adjust the engagement payout structure, which will take effect on November 1, 2025. Key changes include that “Creators introducing new or previously inactive players will earn 75% of the contributions from those players to the engagement payout pool during their first six months.”

Share of in-game sales distributed to creators — Image credit: Epic Games

New Sponsored Row and Community Features

As part of its initiatives, Epic will introduce a sponsored row on the Discover page, allowing creators to access transparent market data for bidding on placement. Developers will retain 100% of the revenue generated by the sponsored content from November 2025 until the end of 2026, after which the profit share will also drop to 50%.

Additionally, Epic is launching the “Creator Communities” feature. This new capability enables developers to establish community forums where they can share island updates, event details, and feedback requests. Players will also be able to view these community posts across various sections in Fortnite, such as Island Lobbies and Discover pages.

Competitive Landscape: Fortnite vs. Roblox

This initiative represents Epic’s ongoing strategy to establish a competitive edge over Roblox, highlighting the differing revenue opportunities for creators within each platform. The potential for increased earnings hinges on players’ willingness to purchase the newly available items.

Since the launch of the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), players have dedicated over 11.2 billion hours to exploring 260, 000 live creator-made islands, yielding a substantial payout of approximately $722 million so far. Epic remains committed to investing in innovative tools that will expand development opportunities for creators.

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